Scars from the Past
by Seth-Cypher
Summary: Two completely different Ravens with completely different motives bound to one fate. Rated M for Language, Sexual content and violence. This is my first fanfiction so reviews are welcome! Chapter 20 Updated! Last chapter guys!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:sigh As always, I do not own AC but I own the characters. This is my first fanfic so reviews would be nice.

Chapter 1: The New Crop

"The test is about to begin. Be aware that this test will determine your future as a Raven," A low voice on the intercom instructed. "Try to relax Sara, getting nervous will only make things worse. You do not need to feel any pressure got that?"

"Ummmm...O-Okay." a nervous female voice replied. Sara Landfield, Age 20. She had long jet-black hair that reached to her shoulders paired with light-blue eyes. At most times she would feel very confident, in fact she would be very self-centered, but at the moment she was feeling very nervous. She piloted a red AC whom she called Crimson Tear. Sara had saved up a great deal of money to buy her AC, She wasn't about to put it to waste now. The exam that would determine her future was here and now. Well, at least the examiner is nice.

"Should you succeed, you will be registered as a Raven in the Ravens Ark. If you fail you will die. I will be accompanying you as an observer, but only in that capacity. Keep this in mind," the examiner said with a more serious tone than before.

_Right, I don't need to feel any pressure at all. _Sara felt uncomfortable at the examiner's last words.

"Now let's begin. The objective is simple, all you have to do is destroy all MTs that you find running amok in the city."

A loud beep signaled for the starting of the examination. "Go straight ahead and destroy all MTs that you find. The alternate pathways have been blocked off to prevent them from escaping anywhere else."

Crimson Tear boosted forward and turned to the right. The glass of the tunnel seemed to refract amazing light from the sun. After a while two MTs where sighted. Crimson Tear strafe boosted to the right and used it's sniper rifle to clear the two MTs. _This isn't so tough,_ Sara thought to herself. After a whole five minutes of cleaning up the MTs the exam was over.

"That was quite exceptional piloting for someone who just started to pilot an AC. You just might live up to something someday. Congragulations! You have become, a Raven," the examiner said in a stern voice.

As soon as the screen flickered off Sara sat in the cockpit, wide eyed and surprised. Her arms flung into the air "Yes! Yes! Yes! I'm the greatest! Yes!" She yelled with excitement. After the exam, Sara docked in Cascove City. It was a large city that had tunnels connecting to each building surrounded by a lush green environment. A city that was quite active even at night. Meanwhile, Sara was trying to find her quarters. "Let's see...A-21, A-21...Ah! Here it is!" Sara slid the keycard through the card slot and the quarter door slid open. "Oh my god! Wow...it's like a five star hotel, and I'm right beside the best view. This is so awesome!" Sara immediately jumped on the large queen sized bed waiting for her. She sighed at the luxurious surrounding and comfortable bed. But as soon as she settled down a distinct beeping could be heard. Sara set her sights on a small computer imbedded into the wall. "Oh! This must be the computer that we have to use for arena battles and mission contracts that my friends were talking about. Hmmmm...I wonder!" Bolting upright she went to the miniature computer and pressed the green button that seemed to be flashing. That seemed to trigger and open a new mail. The mail read:

_Welcome Raven,_

We are quite aware that you have been newly inducted into the group and would like to go over the rules of the Ravens Ark first before you recieve any missions.  
First of all, we here at Ravens Ark will supply Ravens with a mission according to their skill level. However we are not allowed to interfere with the contract or the Ravens situation no matter how problematic it may be.  
You should also be aware that in certain missions Ravens will be forced to be pitted against eachother. As long as the contract pays we have no qualms whatsoever against the contract.  
Another thing is that you should know is the way we pick Arena opponents. There is no particular thing we do, we only randomly select one against eachother. This poses as a problem for those who have just started as they cannot compete with the upper tiers. But in the past we have had many problems so we have decided on this system as the best.  
By the way, my name is Karen, I will be your operator on the field of battle. Good luck!

That was the end of the message. Sara noticed another mail appear and clicked the green button again. The title read Arena Match:

_Hello Again Raven! I'm just here to tell you that your first Arena match is all set. Please click on the small icon in the bottom left, it should be blinking. Good luck!_

Karen

"Oh! Wow that was fast...let's see...my next match is...ahhhhh! Windbreaker! Haha! That's a cocky name, I bet it's a pushover hehehe...well...it wouldn't hurt to do some research on my opponent." On the top right hand corner of the screen there was a icon with paper and files on it with the words Ranking under it. Clicking on the icon and typing in the name the following popped up:

_Windbreaker Rank: 2 AC: Omen_

After joining two months in the Ark he rose in rank and surpassed all odds. Has a mission success rate and arena record of a hundred percent. He is well respected and very skilled in combat. Uses multiple strategies according to the situation making him unreadable. He has earned the second place title through sheer determination and perserverance. Many who wish to go against the Nine Breaker must face him...only a handful have come close.  
The profile seemed to end by itself and Sara was left speechless, "I...I have to face the second ranked in my first match...ahhhhhhh! This isn't fair! How am I supposed beat someone whoes beaten everything!" Sara seemed to be even nervous than she was when she was doing the exam. Through all the thoughts that were going through Sara's head she didn't notice the green light flashing on the monitor that indicated a mail. It was only when the beeping started that she noticed the mail. She pressed the green button and the mail opened:

_To my opponent_

I see that you are my next opponent. You seem to be newly inducted as I have seen so I'll give you some tips on how the Ark REALLY works. They only say that the Arena opponents are randomly picked but the truth is they just don't want you to file a complaint against the Ark just because your opponent is ranked much higher than you. They actually pick the opponents personally and match them up according to their skill level. Which means they see the potential in you to defeat me. This should be entertaining...I look forward to our battle.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Enter the "Blue Fury"

"Hey you!" an abrupt voice interrupted the train of thought of a brown haired man. The man lifted his head to see a girl whoes age ranged from 19-20. She had jet-black hair and distinguishable blue eyes. Wearing the standard Raven jacket that was white with a white skirt that went down to her knees. "Ummmmm...I'm kinda new could you please tell me where the Arena registration booth is?"

"Down the right to your left. Take a right turn on the second stop then you'll see it," the man replied coldly. He had a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. He wore a black Raven's jacket with a white shirt and a pair of black jeans. His right arm was bandaged up to the elbow.

"Okay! Thanks a lot!" the girl replied. Didn't have to sound so cold! she thought to herself and skidded off in the direction the man pointed to.

_Hmph! What a nuiseance. It's always like this, some newb comes in all jolly and thinks it's fun and games...well, she's gonna learn the hard way how fun it is! _The man thought to himself. He stood up and started heading to the garage where his AC was docked.

All Ravens have their own unique purpose and story of why they were Ravens. Purposes that involved personal matters or family matters. But, this Raven was different, his reason was...to stay alive. His real name was Kurata Myogasu better known as, Windbreaker in the Ravens Ark. To his opponents, however, he was known as "The Blue Fury". His main objective is unclear, however, staying alive was a means neccessary to complete objectives. He refuses to reveal his history to the Ravens Ark and any relationship he had or any family matters he had. The scar he bears on his left cheek and his injured right arm is rumored to have been left by a war which almost lead to another "Great Destruction". The only way that he ever managed to be a Raven in the Ravens Ark was his superior skills in piloting an AC. He rose in rank and became second place in only two months after he joined. Most people believe he could out match the Nine Breaker.

After Windbreaker maintenance with his AC, Omen, he went to the front lobby where a beautiful girl of 20 with blonde hair in a black secretary uniform was sitting and calling out commands through her headphones. It was when he was leaning on the table that she took notice and put her headphones down. "Oh! Wind! What brings here?" her voice had that tone which made her that much more sexy.

"Hmmm...I was going to ask you that question, Karen. You asked me to come down here...so...what is it you want?" He asked simply in his monotonist voice.

"Oh Right! Theres a special request they want to make for you...it's about assaulting a Kisaragi excavation base. You'll also be accompanied by another Raven, though I don't know who it is right now. The request was made by Crest and Mirage as a joint operation."

"Crest and Mirage in a joint operation against Kisaragi? Hmmmm...that's strange...in a case like this they would usually go separate ways even though their objectives would be the same. Hell! They'd rather die than work with eachother...something strange must be going on...and the enemy units?"

"Frankly...their pretty much unknown."

"Strange..."

"What?"

"If it was only an excavation site then Mirage and Crest with all their power put together could trounce Kisaragi...but to not even have data on the enemy forces...something strange must be going on! Wheres the location?"

"Fenris Dome."

"That old thing...why would Kisaragi excavate there...theres nothing even there...if there even was the nukes that Mirage launched on Crest would have destroyed em! What the hell? I don't know if I should go...I have next to no clue what I'm up against."

"Their paying twenty million creds," She raised her brow and smiled in amusement.

Windbreaker stopped dead at those words, "T-twenty million creds?...errr...ughhhh...fine! I accept!"

In a moment or so, Windbreaker was at the site that was instructed. Inside of the dome he also met another Raven called Stingback, he was a corporate Raven and one of Mirage's ace pilots as well. "Well, well, I knew I'd be working with an Elite Raven but I never expected the Windbreaker! It's quite a pleasure to meet you. I've heard many of the great deeds you've done for Mirage and I'm most impressed." Stingback had a British accent combined with a bit of Scottish.

"Save it!" Windbreaker said coldly, "We'll talk later...right now we have a job to do right?"

"Of course!"

An hour of searching the large dome was completed and nothing was found. Not even Kisaragi units were in sight. "Hmmm...that's strange...theres nothing in sight. We should report back to base about thi-AUGHHHHH!" Stingback was cut off when his whole AC was split in two what appeard to be a Moonlight blade through the rear.

"Well...this is a surprise...when I heard that the corporations sent reinforcements I had not expected the great Windbreaker!" a gruff voice on the intercom spoke.

The explosion hardly even phased Windbreaker. "Who are you?"

"You may not remember me but I remember you all too well..."

"We've...met before?"

"Have we met before?...you'll find that out soon!" The black AC infront of him raised it's laser rifle and started firing. Omen was quick and strafe boosted to the right and returned fire using it's linear rifle. The black machine boosted back to avoid a contact and fired it's Spartoi back unit. Omen jumped to the left to escape the impact and boosted straight at the the black AC with it's Moonlight open. The black AC crossed blades with it's Moonlight. Both machines were struggling to overpower the other but neither seemed to falter, "Well...it looks to be a stalemate. I'd love to finish this off but time is a wasting. Remember me well, my name is Enigma!" With that the black AC disengaged and boosted upwards making a hole in the dome glass and escaping through it. Reporting back to the Mirage and Crest forces stationed on the outskirts of the area, Windbreaker explained everything that happened. Luckily, it was considered a job done, even if no Kisaragi forces were blown up. Making his way back to Ravens Ark he was informed that his Arena match was close. Windbreaker docked Omen in the Arena transfer tunnel where ACs and pilots were transferred to the Arena.The door slid open revealing a dark blue AC with glowing laser eye of Queen. It had a new set of arms that could increase speed ability phenomenally. Stepping out onto the marker ring of the Arena with the crowd behind the glass cheering for either side Windbreaker was ready to face his opponent with unbreakable confidence. On the opposite side he could see a Red AC lightweight equiped with a sniper rifle and a left arm grenade rifle. _All right, Crimson Tear! Let's see what your made of! _Omen charged straight at Crimson Tear with great speed. All Windbreaker could hope for a was a worthy enough adversary this time...this time.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Past and the Present

Crimson Tear moved at an incredible speed using its overboost function. Damn! What speed! He can't be human, Sara thought as her target, the AC Omen, zipped past her small grenade shell. Its very speed caused ripples in the air that it travelled through. Maybe I should try using the light-weight grenade launcher. Crimson Tear landed and unmounted its cannon. Omen saw this as an opportune moment to strike and shot a couple shells. The red AC simply flew off with its weapon still mounted and fired. The fiery shell caught the target off guard but Omen strafed to the right just in time.

_What?_ Windbreaker was surprised at the move she just made, _an OP-I user!_ The red AC in his screen started jump-boosting very high while strafing at an angle and firing grenade shells. Windbreaker was wide-eyed at the ACs tactics, _It can't be...t-that's..._He quickly recalled from his past someone neither friend nor foe. It was a pilot who was deranged from having been in Crest's regional campaign for far too long and started going mad. A familiar voice seeming young with a slight droning was recalled...

_"I'm a mercenary...I'm used to betrayals...but, power is all that matters right now...beat me if you can!" The emotionless voice said on the comm-link._

"Stop this right now Genobee! What do you hope to gain with this action!" Windbreaker asked.

Ignoring his statement, Genobee continued, " Human arrogance will once again usher in the downfall of mankind!" The black AC did not halt in it's barrage of grenade shells. Windbreaker easily dodged the shells.

"What the hell are you saying! What do you know!" Windbreaker tried again.

"It doesn't matter now! In the grand scheme of things you and I are insignificant..."

"What!"

"You heard me! Now die, ungrateful wretch!" Dual Face rushed in with its short ranged blade attempting to slash the cockpit. Omen dodged it and countered with its Moonlight blade. The illuminating blade took out a chunk of the core but missed the cockpit. The black AC knelt down with its already smoldering armor smoking. "Our roles could have been so easily reversed..." was his last words before the AC blew a fuse.  
Another grenade shell flew towards the dark blue AC. Windbreaker was too lost in his train of thoughts and didn't react in time to avoid the blast fully. The impact ripped off some of Omen's armor but not enough to be considered a serious threat. _Damn...I was too careless..._Windbreaker thought.

_Yes! I got him...but just barely..._Sara thought. The whole crowd was cheering, waving their arms outside the glass dome. A young man with long blonde hair that reached down to his waist stood up in awe.

"Such maneuvers! Impossible! Windbreaker...you have improved over the years." The blonde haired man said. Among the crowd that stood up and cheered three inividuals could be seen sitting and staring as if nothing was a surprise to them.

_So I see your still a good tactician and pilot as ever, Windbreaker. _A man with black hair that reached down to his shoulders. "What do you think, Carom? Who do you think will win?"

"Well, Evangel-" The man with short blonde hair was cut off immediately.

"Evangel does not exist anymore! My name is Vanguard! "

"Alright, Alright...sheeesh...well...I think that if the rookie was to have more experience, then she could be a decent fight against Omen judging by her tactics at this stage...I'm actually very impressed!" Carom stated.

"...those tactics..." A man with buzzed black hair and wearing a pair of shades started talking.

"Hm? What about those tactics, Shade? They seem pretty good to me." Carom said.

" Vanguard, don't they seem a bit familiar to you?" Shade asked.

"...now that you mention it...Crimson Tear seems to be using some familiar tactics...I've seen them before...but where?" Vanguard pondered.

_Hmph...alright, I've hauled this out long enough...time to finish it! _Omen dodged a couple of sniper shots and activated it's arm boosters. The blue AC sped past Crimson Tear at a demon speed.

_What kind of boosters is that AC using!_ Sara could only see a blur speed past her. A loud thud followed by rumbling and tumbling in the cockpit caught the young female off-guard. "Wha-!" Sara turned the Eye2 head to look upwards only to be looking into the black cavity hole of a rifle. The last thing Sara saw was a brilliant and luminous light before her screens went dead.


	4. Chapter 4

Updated at last!

**Magnus-Thanks, I had to rush because of school.**

**Dra Gan-Glad you liked it.**

Chapter 4: Premonition

A girl with raven-black hair dropped down from what was left of her AC, black ruin layered with ash. The air surrounding the huge mech was filled with smoke. Sara was furious, not because she had lost her first match but because her AC was completely destroyed. She turned around to face the dark blue AC known as Omen. Its pilot was sliding down from a rope that was extended from the cockpit. Sara, made haste to the other side of the garage.

As the pilot of the ominous blue AC let go of the rope he noticed that a girl with raven-black hair down to her shoulders was stomping in rage towards him. Oh! Great, if it's not one thing its another, he thought to himself. The male pilot known as Windbreaker quickly found himself staring into the eye of an enraged female. _Oh fuck! The lovelier they are the more scary they can get..._

"What the hell did you do that for!" she yelled in his face. _Wow, he's cute!_ this thought seemed to cross her mind but her AC was more important at the moment.

Although the sight of women getting angry scared Windbreaker the most he pertained an emotionless face. "Did what?"

"You completely destroyed my AC!"

"Oh, well excuse me. I believe that was the purpose of the Arena."

"Yeah, well...you didn't have to go and completely demolish it! Do you know how much that AC cost!"

"Yes, I'm well aware of how much an AC costs. Your not the only one here with an AC eh?"

"Uhhh...ummmm...that's not the point! The point is I have to pay for this."

Oh yeah, I remember her, she's that girl that I met in the hallway, he had just realized. "Your new around here aren't you?"

Sara nodded, "So? Whats your point?"

"So that means you don't know that AC ammunition and repairs in the Arena are payed by the Ark itself?"

"Ahhhh...ummmm..." Sara felt a bit embarassed after the outburst she just had, especially when it showed everyone that she was new. "I-I'm terribly sorry for my abrupt behaviour, it won't happen again."

"Its fine, I'm quite used to it by now," Windbreaker said in his emotionless voice. He turned around to his AC when Sara started talking to him again.

"Ummmm...excuse me but, what is your name? I like to know the names of my opponents."

"...Its Windbreaker..." he said plainly.

"Oh! Nice to meet you Windbreaker, my name is Sara Landfield!" she said smiling.

_I didn't even ask for your name..._Windbreaker thought.

"Well, I'll be...off now!" She waved and turned around with a face as flushed as an apple. That was so not good, now everybody nows I'm new!

"...Whatever..." he said to himself.

"Haha! She reminds me of someone!" Windbreaker turned around to see a man with black hair that fell to his shoulders standing in the doorway. Windbreaker raised an eyebrow.

"Evangel..."

"Ahhhhh...for the last time its Vanguard, why do people still call me that!" Vanguard complained.

"Its because everyone that you know, knows who you really are...have you ever thought of keeping a low profile?"

"For what?"

"Jack-O suspects something about "Vanguard"...and that isn't too good based on your history with him."

"Yeah, well...you know better than anyone else that I can't keep a low profile."

"And your AC just screams "Oracle" in the face of everybody."

"No it does not, its completely different than my AC, Oracle...except for the paint job."

"Whatever, did you come all the way just to say that?"

"No, I came to talk to you about that girl. Sara was it?"

Windbreaker nodded.

"Did you notice her piloting tactics?"

"Yes, they were the same as...Genobee's"

"Yeah, but also, I noticed a similarity between her appearance, AC design and that of a specific Crest pilot. Do you know who I am thinking?"

Windbreaker tried to pictured Sara's face and took a look at her AC. "…Agraya…" He had seen a profile of the pilot with her picture before he had been sent on a mission to assassinate her.

"Do you think there is a connection between Sara, Genobee and Agraya?"

"…possibly…but I don't want to get myself into trouble. I've got more problems on my own account right now."

"Hehe.."

"What?"

"Speaking of trouble, here comes a handful right now." A grin crossed Vanguard's face.

"Wha-!" Windbreaker was about to ask but soon got his answer.

"Windy!" an abrupt feminine voice could be heard.

_Oh, you've gotta be fuckin with me!_ As his thoughts progressed a figure lunged at him, crushing his very well being, literally. _My…ribs….ack….pain!_

"Long time no see Windy!" the female who clung to him said.

"Let go…of me!" Windbreaker gasped.

"Okay, I think I'll leave you two alone, I've got some work to be done." Vanguard said as he turned around dashing for the door.

"Wait...help!" struggling to break free of the female that clung to him.

"Hey! Windy, I have a favour to ask of you!" said the female, as Windbreaker was still struggling. He finally gave up after a series of miserably failed attempts and sighed.

"What the hell is it this time Principal?" he looked dully at the female. Principal had blonde hair and light blue eyes. She wore a simple white jumpsuit, the standard for Ravens, although most Ravens tend not to take heed of this and wear casual clothes even in battle. She flirted with every male Raven but seems to give Windbreaker the hardest time.

"Well, I've just accepted a mission and I need a consort!" The young Raven smiled.

"What in your little mind makes you think I would do this?" He asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Well, it's a high pay mission, I'll split it with you! Come on Windy, it would be so nice and fun…and we could be alone."

The thought sent shivers down his spine. This girl who seemed all lovely and innocent, was in fact downright annoying. "I'm not going and that's final."


	5. Chapter 5

**Yes, I have to say, this is the shortest chapter...well...enjoy!**

**Oh! And thanks for the reviews guys, is my story really that good?**

Chapter 5: Reasons

_"Mom, dad! Why are you leaving!" A young girl with black hair asked._

The man with buzzed black hair that stood by a women with long black hair put his hands on the little girl's shoulders and said solemnly, "Sorry sweetie, mommy and daddy have to got to work."

"Are you going to come back!" the girl asked in fright.

"...I can't promise that, sweetie. Mommy and daddy have our work cut out for us this time. We have beat up a bad guy, rumor is he's really tough too," The man said sadly.

"But your going to come back, right. Please, I don't want to lose my parents!" tears came to the young female's eyes.

"...I don't know..." at that moment the man and women that stood before the girl left the house. Later that same day she had recieved word that her mother had died defending Bayload city from a certain Raven. A week later the young girl had seen on the news that her father, a well respected Raven, had been killed by the same Raven that killed her mother. Her father had also died in Bayload city trying desperately to defend the city. The female was suddenly interrupted from her thoughts when a missile threatened to land on her AC. The AC, Crimson Tear, dodged the missile easily with its high speed overboost. It fired its sniper rifle on the targeted AC. AC simulations had advanced greatly since the time of the Nexus Destruction. Simulations had become VR rather than wasting materials on new MTs getting blasted to pieces. The new simulation included various situations as well as an ACAI that was trained to do combat. The AI was very well trained even if in a standard AC. The AIAC was already smoking but it landed a couple shots and missiles before it collapsed. 

"Damn, my armor is too low! I couldn't take on two ACs!" The female known as Sara Landfield yelled. Turning off the simulator she got out of her AC cockpit and looked up at its prominent EYE2 head. _Crimson, we'll never be able to take him on if we keep on doing this bad!_ I promised to myself that I would get revenge on whoever killed mom and dad. The young Raven clenched her fists. _This is so frustrating, here I am in the Ravens Ark trying to kill some person I have no clue about and I don't even know if I'm good enough yet._ She was even more frustrated at the thought that she could not even find the person responsible. _No, I can't give up, I won't! I promised myself! She scratched her head, but how can I find someone whos name I don't even know?_ The thought seemed to depress her. "I know! Windbreaker seemed nice, he could help. Alright...I'll ask him!" she sped off in search of someone whom she thought was her saviour. At the other end of the garage, a figure with short slicked white hair stood there lamenting on what was to be the future and what was in store for mankind in the present.

"Hmmmm...that girl...she looks familiar..." the tall man went towards a large humanoid figure in the garage with his white trench coat swaying from the wind. He looked up staring at the ACs CRICKET head, which seemed fitting on his new design. "Well...looks like "The Time" is almost at hand...Foxeye..."

**OMFG! I wonder who this mysterious white haired man is with his AC Foxeye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Magnus-I found Agraya more challenging but I'm on LR right now and Genobee is much better so…yeah!**

**Dra Gan- Thanks, appreciate the reviews guys, is my story really that good!**

Chapter 6: He Who Defies Everything

"Yay! This is gonna be soooo fun! I can't wait!" a high pitched yell came from the overly joyous Raven called Principal. "See, Windy? I knew you couldn't resist."

"Resist! You're the one that dragged me here and bumped my AC in this transport in the first place!" the young man yelled through the comm-link. He took a good look at his consort's AC, Sundial Feather. It had been a sniper hover in the old times and still is, however it now backed a machine gun in its right arm for fear of ammunition. To Windbreaker though, it wasn't a great design at all. _How did she get up the ranks with that setup in the first place!_ He thought to himself, _Damn! I hate this, I have to work with this newb…_

"Oh, and did I tell you there were going to be other Ravens in this too? Too bad huh? Guess we won't get that privacy we wanted!" the blonde female asked in a vulgar manner.

_Ugh! What the hell is this WE stuff! And others! I have to work with other dimwits as well! This is great…just great…_the thought left Windbreaker unease, he sighed and supported his head with his hand on the control panel of the AC.

"I know how you feel Wind, but you've got no choice right now seeing as how Principal has just dragged you in already," the voice of Karen, the operator, interrupted.

"Yeah, okay, whatever…" he replied in a dull manner.

"Ravens, we've reached the destination, prepare for drop sequence." Karen instructed.

The two ACs came to life and proceeded to the transport doors. The doors opened dropping a white and dark blue AC. "Karen, whats the mission this time?" Windbreaker asked.

"Crest and Mirage are currently constructing their new bases near this region. They have had several encounters already with a mysterious group that attacks their base. This time they want to complete it fully and have nothing stop it, so they've hired a couple of Ravens to protect it from any attacks…Oh! Did I mention it's a very high pay mission?"

_…Crest and Mirage…again….I have a feeling that AC will be here too…_Windbreaker thought. As the two ACs dropped, an AC with light purple paint could be seen guarding the base. Good, its Grace, at least she's sane… At that time Sundial Feather had gone to the other side of the base to scout the perimeter out.

"Well, Windbreaker, long time no see…still have ladies flocking around you?" a high feminine voice could be heard through the comm-link. Grace was still new but had strategies that out-maneuvered even some of the top tiers. She had only been in the Ark for two weeks. The only reason why she isn't in the top ranks is because she would rather stay at the bottom breaking in new recruits. Her AC, Dove, was a lightweight that only had a MOONLIGHT and SHADOW rifle with double radar packs. She excelled at close range combat and was very impressive. Most thought the name Grace was appropriate for her because the smooth way her AC flew.

"Yeah, well…don't even get me started…" Windbreaker didn't even want to think about all this stuff. At the moment, he just wanted to get this mission over with as soon as possible.

"Heh…sounds like you've been having a bad day…as always," she said with a smirk.

Karen interrupted the conversation, "Ravens, looks like there are some MTs headed your way. Their not registered as any Mirage or Crest MT so your clear to fire." Omen turned around and in the front were a couple of OWL type MTs. Pointing its linear rifle it fired a couple shots and toppled one of the MTs over. The MTs were also equipped with ECM, this irritated Windbreaker to the core as he did not like ECM very much. Soon enough Dove and Sundial Feather joined the battle and quickly swept the squad of MTs aside.

"That was soooooo easy, show do they think their messing with!" Principal said in her always cocky tone.

"…something's not right…but wha-" Grace was cut off when a laser shell was headed in her direction. She wasn't off-guard so the shell was easily evaded. Dove looked upwards, two ACs stood on the cliff.

The black AC took a step forward, "Hehe…that was an impressive display…if I had known the Ravens that were sent were this good I would've brought out my heavy artillery."

"You…" Windbreaker recognized the black AC. It was the one he had encountered in Fenris Dome piloted by the anonymous Enigma. The AC itself had the same setup as before, however, it now had the new PYTHON railgun in its right arm instead of a SHADE laser rifle, "What do you want now?"

"I just wanted to finish what we started back at Fenris Dome, Blaze...distract them while I gather our information," The AC that stood at the side was a white one. It was a lightweight with dual shotguns and an EO core. It boosted straight towards Dove and Sundial Feather unleashing its shotguns. The black AC pointed its railgun and charged for a short while, Omen quickly reacted boosting in a diagonal pattern. The railgun let off a eerie blue light that barely missed Omen. "Ha! As much as I expected…but your no match for my AC, Nova! Blaze, take care of the other two!" Nova slid down the cliff while charging its railgun. Omen quickly overboosted towards Nova and slid to the right at the last moment. The railgun hit a warehouse setting it on fire. Nova locked onto Omen from a distance while its back was still turned from the evasive tactic. Once again, the railgun fired its prominent laser at Omen, assured that it would hit the target. Omen quickly turned around and boosted straight at the laser making a slight left tilt the laser barely missed the AC. _As expected... _Omen boosted straight forward and released its MOONLIGHT blade at the last moment then took a left boost. It was all in such a smooth manner that Enigma didn't realize his ACs right arm had been severed. Omen then overboosted past Nova and fired its linear rifle at Nova's overboosters. _As I thought…he's another one_, Nova could only turn around and stagger in its movements from the damage. "Blaze! Its time to retreat…I've gathered enough information on the target." Nova turned towards Windbreaker, "I look forward to our next meeting…do not worry too much, your role has yet to be played."

"Role!"

"Hehe…just remember that your just the same as us!"

Blaze and his AC Rogue Flame weren't having better luck either. He was barely able to keep up with the speed of Dove and Sundial Feather. The ACs head had been completely destroyed leaving only smoke. "Well, ladies…we'll have to finish this some other time," He said in a calm manner despite his position. Both Nova and Rogue Flame turned boosted off under the cover of the mist.

"Yeah! That should teach you to mess with us!" Principal seemed as cocky as always.

"They didn't seem too intent on destroying the base….wonder what they were actually after…" Grace spoke to herself.

_Role? One of them!...could this be...that time already? _Windbreaker's face turned grim at the thoughts that raced through his mind. He thought of the future and what was yet to come.

**There it is, I hope the suspense is killing you guys! XD**


	7. Chapter 7

**Discalimer: I do not own AC, I only own the OC characters in it.**

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 7: Friend or Foe

The young Raven jumped down from his cockpit, still on his mind were the events that had occured over the past few hours. He was tired, and needed some rest after what had just happened. _Has the time really come! Is the crisis to come this soon!_ he thought, when an abrupt voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey! Windy!" It was Principal in her usual yellow and white jumpsuit followed by Grace in some casual clothes.

"You seem a bit pale...is something the matter?" asked Grace. Her hair was brown and tied into a pony tail that hung down to her waist.

"..." he could not sum up words to tell them what was stirring in his mind, "Its nothing of your concern..."

"Really? It seems pretty obvious that your concentrating on something that ensued in the battle just now," Grace was very curious as to why Windbreaker seemed to be uneased all of the sudden.

"...theres nothing...I just ate too much for lunch thats all..." Windbreaker lied.

"Right...I don't think-" Grace was interrupted by Principal just then.

"Awww...forget it, Grace. Windbreaker's not gonna tell ya...if anything, he must be thinking about dating me!" 

Windbreaker turned even more pale at the words, _Dating...something I'll never do with her,_ he tried to restrain himself from shivering at the thought but he could not hold much back.

"Windy, are you cold?" the blonde asked.

"...yes...thats it..." Windbreaker tried to get away from the topic, "Shouldn't you guys be somewhere else right now? Like reporting our mission status to the representative of the corps?"

"Your supposed to be there too, Windy, remember?"

"Damn you! Don't you remember? The administrator wants to have a word with me!"

"Ahhh...yes...Jack-O, I wonder what he wants..." Grace grabbed Principal by the collar, "Okay, let's get going before we're late."

"Ouch! Hey! Windy!" Grace had dragged Principal out of the garage and into the hallway.

_Finally, some peace of mind-_

"Excuse me...ummmm...Windbreaker?" an attractive feminine voice spoke.

**Ugh...no...not another nuiseance,** Windbreaker turned around to be facing the women whom he had had his Arena match with the other day. She was probably what he defined as beautiful, "Yes, what is it?"

"Ummmm...I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" Sara asked in a shy manner. _Wow, he's so hot! _she blushed lightly at this thought.

"Favor?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, can you help me find a specific person?"

"...person...who?"

"Well, you see...I'm trying to find a Raven who killed my parents, they died at Bayload city trying to defend it." she said, as painful memories began to flood her mind.

_What a in cliched story! I've got to have heard this one a hundred times!_ Windbreaker wasn't quite moved this.

"My parents were both AC pilots...two of the best too...my mother died on the top of Bayload city and my father died in his AC while trying to defeat a Raven," tears welled up in the young female's eyes.

_Oh, come on! I didn't even ask for your pathetic excuse for a sap story! I've heard better. _Windbreaker was quite annoyed by this girl, " Listen...I can't help you...and frankly, I don't quite give a damn about whats going on with your life here. Can you please step aside so I can attend to my own business?" he said coldly.

"What?" She was surprised at his response.

"If you can't fend for yourself in this world then you won't get anywhere in life. Its as plain and simple as that! Your parents were probably some low class pilots who couldn't defend anything." This made Sara very angry, this man that she was asking help for was insulting her parents, she couldn't tolerate it and decided to bite back.

"What the hell are you saying! I came here looking for help and all you do is insult me and my parents? What gives you the right to do such a thing!" she was enraged.

"Everything, theres no rule on whether I can do this or that in life. So I simply chose to tell you what my personal opinion on this...pathetic feud was."

"Why you-"

"Do you even know what the name of this specific person is? Or did you just come to me telling this sap story hoping that I would be able to find someone just by listening to your story?"

"Ahhhhh..."

"Please step aside now..."

"Ugh! Fine! And you know what! I don't need your help!'

Windbreaker walked towards the hallway, "I didn't want to help you in the first place," he disappeared into the dark corridor.

"Ugh! That guy really makes me angry! If I ever face-off with him, I'll be sure to show him his place!" she yelled, to no one in particular.

Windbreaker walked through the corridor to find himself at another AC garage. There stood a man with a black trench coat and slicked white hair slanted across the wall. "Ahhh, Wind, been meaning to talk to you."

"Whats it this time Jack?" The man known as Jack-O was a revered and veteran Raven. After the collapse of Bayload city by the mysterious force, Jack-O had officially become the head administrator of the Ravens Ark.

"That girl that you were fighting...reminds me of someone eh?"

"Urgh! Don't remind me!" Windbreaker moved, uncomfortably.

Jack-O chuckled lightly, "I remember when you were like that...you were far superior to all the newcomers too, anyways.." his face darkened into a serious expression suddenly, "I came to talk to you about the battle that you recently had."

"Word sure travels fast doesn't it?"

"Karen told me about the battle you just had with the one called "Enigma"...you know what this means don't you?"

"...unfortunately...yes..." Windbreaker's face was grim.

"...the time is almost at hand..."

"..."

"And whats more, that Sara girl may be part of this as well..."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you should watch for any sign or suspicious things and be prepared...I'll contact you when something should occur..." At this, Jack-O walked off into the distance.

"...you hear that?" Windbreaker seemed to speak to an invisible person. The door slid open, revealing a man in brown jacket with black hair that reached to his neck.

"Yes, very unfortunate for us that the time is at hand," Vanguard said leaning against the railing of the garage. "Heh...by the way, about Sara-"

"God dammit! How come everyone knows about this!" He cut Vanguard off, scratching his head.

"Anyone from a mile away could hear that kind of talk! Maybe you should apologize to her, I mean, you were being a bit harsh!" Vanguard's face formed a frown.

"Me! Apologize! What the hell do I have to apologize for!"

"Listen, Jack-O may be right. Sara may be involved in this already. If she is related to Genobee or Agraya then she would be in this deep. We could use her, just keep monitoring her for any abnormal activities. I suspect many things may be revolving around her. It is very imperative that we keep up to speed with things."

"Well...I don't like it...but your suspicions have never been wrong...alright fine...but I'd better get high pay for this."

"If, by the time the crisis has ended and we are both alive, then you will have four times the amount of normal pay."

"That's nice..."

"But...should one of us die, the other will have to pay for the funeral."

"...thats not good!"

**Yes, I thought this chapter had no significance to the story but I put it on just to show you guys what kind of a guy Jack-O is.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Grand Arena Tournament

"Awwwww! Wind, tickets? And your asking me out on a date? How sweet!" The Raven known as Sara said with a mysterious look in her eyes.

"Bought…right…yeah, whatever!" the brown haired man known as Windbreaker said. It had been 2 weeks since the argument between Sara and Windbreaker. Having taken the advice that Vanguard had given, he quickly apologized to her. Fortunately for him, she was an easy-going person and not one to hold too many grudges. Over the many weeks they had accepted missions, coincidentally both Ravens seemed to keep meeting at their missions. The young female had grown fond of the veteran despite his attitude towards her. Windbreaker sat down on the soft white bed. "Are you ready yet? We're going to be late for the Arena battles," he said as he looked at his watch.

"But I need to get into something that looks good for my first date!" she said in a mysterious manner. Windbreaker had been waiting for her over half an hour because of the dressing crisis she was having.

"Just pick something casual and lets go, I never said this was a date! I…just happened to have two tickets in my pocket…" he said staring at the two green and white paper strips in his hand.

"Yeah! Whatever, I think you bought em on purpose just to impress me Wind!" she yelled out of the bathroom.

"…okay…whatever…yeah, I bought em to please you…"

"See? Ha! I knew it."

"…" Windbreaker did not say anything as he hadn't actually bought the tickets, he had beaten them out of Carom when he saw two tickets in Carom's hand. He thought back to when he threatened to shove Carom into a locker if he didn't hand over the tickets. Windbreaker had intended to sell them at a high bid for some extra cash but he never got around to actually doing it. The Raven ran his bandaged hand through his brown hair, _What the hell…might as well use em anyways…_he thought. The silver reflective door of the bathroom slid open. Revealing a slim figure with a white blouse with a pink shirt worn on the inside and a white dress.  
"So? How is it?" she asked in a shy manner.

"…its fine…I guess…" he shrugged.

_Wow! It must really be good!_ She thought to herself. Over the past weeks that she had gotten to know Windbreaker, she had deciphered many of his gestures to be lower than that of most. Usually when he holds something as average looking, it really means its really good.

"So…all set?"

"Yup! We're gonna have a fun time right Wind?" she said smiling brightly at him.

"Sure…" he shrugged again. The Arena Dome was massive and huge, equipped with state of the art technology, it was designed to hold against even a missile salvos. At the entrance, Windbreaker handed the tickets to the entrant manager.

"Thank you. your in row number 3," the manager said.

Windbreaker raised his eyebrows, how does Carom do this? Everytime I beat a ticket out of him its always one of the front row seats!

"Whats wrong?" Sara peeked in over his shoulder.

"...we're third row from the front…"

"Oh! Wow, Wind! You must have done a lot of pushing and heaving for these tickets….your so sweet!" She said hugging him softly.

"Uhhhh…okay….can we go in now?" he said as he flushed a light red. _A helluvalot of pushing and heaving!_ He thought in his mind. They walked into the colossal building, inside of the dome, a glass dome could be seen. The glass was reinforced with neo-tricarbonate steel and a tick layer of the new polymer glass. It was built to withstand anything that ACs put against it so that misfire could not injure the crowd.

"Wow! Its so big!" Sara said, wide eyed.

"Is this your first time watching the Grand Arena Tournament?" she nodded back at him, "Heh…the Arena can switch environments, so I'm pretty sure you'll have more than enough entertainment," He gave a small grin. The seats were all covered in leather, and seemed comfortable enough to sit. A pamphlet had been given to them stating which matches were to come, and who was against who.

"Okay, lets see who's in the first matches…" Sara said flipping through the pamphlet.

Probably newbs who can't even fire a rifle properly…Windbreaker thought.

"Hey, here we are…Argus versus Immortal…they sound pretty good," She smiled slightly.

_Yeah right…I would be surprised if they finished each other off in half an hour,_ The first match took more than half an hour to finish. Both pilot's shots hardly ever landed, no, not because they were really great and ace. But because they sucked that much. Windbreaker seemed to have dozed off in a light sleep and Sara had to slap him one to wake him up.

"Hey! The second match is about to start! What are you dozing off for?" He awoke with a startle.

"Ahhhh…damn…and I was getting such a good sleep…"

"I hope the next match isn't as boring," she said, beginning to yawn.

"Don't worry…the next match will be pitting experienced pilots in the rank Cs," Two ACs were released from each end of the gates a couple minutes after the crowd had fit over the first fight being so terribly long and boring. One of the ACs was a tank AC decked out with grenade launchers. It had dual grenade launchers and grenade launcher weapon arms.

"It says here, the pilot is Ace Master…" Sara said, looking at the pamphlet the manager had given her. It had names of challengers in the Arena and showed their AC and picture.

"Ace Master…he's pretty famous…"

"Yeah? Really?"

"Yeah…for damage racing…he doesn't show any maneuvers what-so-ever. All he ever does is just stand there and fire his grenades like a madman." Windbreaker said, crossing his arms.

"Is that right…how did he get up to C?"

"His opponents happen to be some newbie who couldn't even move the AC…" He looked to the other end to see a mid-weight AC that was greenish grey. It was a plain looking AC and it was just a standard AC with upgraded parts. It had an AST rifle and the ELF blade in its hands. On its back it mounted a mid-rocket launcher and a mid range radar. Beside the shoulder of the arms were octagonal shapes that were the rifle reload magazines. "What I'm more interested in is who that is…I haven't seen him around before…"

"Hey! He's from Bayload city! His name is G.Faust. I don't know much about him though."

"From your hometown?"

"Yeah…"

"How did he get up the ranks with that poor design?" he scoffed.

"That's not a nice thing to say!"

"I'm just speaking my mind…"

"How would you feel if somebody else said something like that to you!" she yelled.

"I could care less about what other people think about me…" Windbreaker merely shrugged.

Sara sighed at his remark, _Why do you have to be so cold always…its as if your trying to block everything out. Why? You must have a reason for being this way. Even after all that time we spent together, you still seem distant, Sara stared at him, trying to think of some reason._ Windbreaker had not noticed that she had been staring at him, his cold dark eyes had been locked on the grey AC that had stepped in. A loud beeping sound could be heard signaling the start of the Arena. G.Faust started fast, the moment he flew in the Arena, Windbreaker could sense that he had much skill. Ace Master merely treaded to the center of the Arena while trying desperately to get a lock on to the grey AC that was skidding along the ground at high speed. Firing a grenade shell, Ace Master attempted to follow up with a retreat from his turn boosters while boosting backwards. The effort had failed miserably as G.Faust faked the grenade shot out and boosted straight at the large tank AC in front of it. The grey AC brought its ELF blade up and slashed in a diagonal direction that left a large indent in the tank ACs core. Ace Master tried to fired another round of grenades but missed once again. G.Faust was a step ahead of him and had flanked him already, delivering a punishing blade wave and followed up with a couple rounds from the AST rifle. Unmounting its dual grenade launchers, Ace Master saw a perfect opportunity to retaliate and fired. Both grenade shots hit directly causing some of the parts to break. The grey AC boosted backwards in shock as its head unit had been blown off. Another round of grenades was fired his way but G.Faust reacted quick enough skidding to the left. The grenades hit the ground causing a black area. The tank AC sat still, seeming to be surprised by his opponent's maneuvers. This left Ace Master wide open and an AC came down firing its rockets and slashed the tank across the core. What was left of the large tank AC was now covered in smoke and black ash. Another loud beep signaled that the battle had ended and it was clear who the victor had been from the beginning.

"Heh...that guy had quite a strategy going on there...he's gonna make something out of himself someday," Windbreaker said with his eyes closed and a smirk.

_That's the first time I've heard him complement someone else like that...he must really be impressed, she looked at him, I think he's changed alot since I first met him...but he could still work on his tone and attitude a little._This time, Windbreaker noticed she was staring at him and felt irritated.

"What? Is there something wrong!" Sara seemed embarassed that she had stared at him so long.

"Ahhhh...ahhhh...nothing..." her face went red as she looked the other way.

_Whats her problem? Ever since I accepted all those missions with her she's become attached to me for some reason. She seems to portray feelings for me...this could be a serious problem to my mission. I can't let this get in the way. No matter what happens...I must complete my mission...to atone for my sins._

"Oh! Look here comes the challenger...and the Ninebreaker! Oh my god, I can't believe this! I get to watch The Vanguard fight! Your the best, Wind!" she gave him a hug.

_I'll never understand women ever...they change their mind so quickly, In that instance, _Sara planted a kiss on his cheek and held on tightly around his waist. Windbreaker merely sat there and didn't even attempt to avoid the kiss. _Strange...that didn't feel bad at all...actually, it felt pretty good..._

"Oh! Look, the challenger!" She jumped up in joy and cheered along with the rest of the crowd. Her companion merely raised an eyebrow at her.

_Whats so freakin great!_ _Its just Vanguard's AC..._He looked at the navy blue AC with white outline. It had the DINGO2 legs and a linear rifle along with a back mounted linear cannon. Its other back unit was that of the GERYON2 laser cannon. Bearing in its left hand the MOONLIGHT blade that was painted yellow, the QUEEN head made it look very intimidating. Windbreaker switched his gaze to the other end. It was a black AC with the EYE head and SPARTOI missiles. It had a MOONLIGHT as well and carried the SHADE laser rifle in its right hand. It looked up at the crowd with its erie blue eye, to Windbreaker though, it seemed to stare straight at him. Windbreaker's head pounded, _That AC...what is he doing here! _As Windbreaker stared into the ACs single eye he began to feel his head ache with searing pain. He gripped his head, _What the hell! I can...feel something...someone's...talking..._

_I know you can hear me and I know what you are. I know you know who I am...I'm only here to tell you...of the plan...of the role you will play...of the future that has yet to come!_ The Raven felt as though his head would explode any minute, various voices crossed his mind, until the pain was too much to bear.

Sara noticed the sudden outbursts that Windbreaker was having, "Wind...a-are you okay?" she asked, extending her arms to help support her companion who continued to shake his head furiously, "Wind, do you need to go to the medical wing...are you okay!" Sara's eyes were wide with fear, at that moment, Windbreaker stopped shaking only to fall down with a loud thud on the floor, "Wind!" She yelled, trying desperately to wake him up, "Wind!" That was the last thing he heard before he passed out.


	9. Chapter 9

rChapter 9: Past of the Dead

"_Hey! Horizon! Come over here! The sky looks so beautiful!" A young girl with long blonde hair that reached down to her waist said._

"_Hm? Ahhh….okay…sure…" The boy with short brown hair and dark eyes said. He walked up the stairs to see the girl leaning against the garage railing, her hair flowing with the wind that blowed her hair back._

"_Doesn't the moon look great?" she asked smiling softly at him._

"_Ahhhhh…yeah…." The boy known as Horizon blushed a light red, purely because he was staring at the girl who was talking to him._

"_You know Horizon…your doing extremely good, considering that you've only joined the Ark for only a week. She walked closer to him._

_Horizon scratched his head, "Ahhhhh…thanks…"_

"_Hey…thanks for taking me out tonight…that was a great Arena match you had," She whispered as she put her hand on his chest._

"_So….you enjoyed it!" He asked, his heart beating faster._

"_Hell yeah!"_

"_Well…I'm glade you enjoyed it…frankly, I didn't think that I would get second place in the standings…" he said, running his hand through his dark brown hair. _

_The girl drew closer, only inches away from his face, "I had faith…I knew you would do great in there…" she whispered in his ear._

_He was as red as a beet now, "Ummmm…thanks…for your faith…" he looked her figure over, with the starlight in the background. "You look…lovely tonight…Charisma…" She smiled at his complement and pressed her lips against his. They embraced eachother throughout the entire night, not knowing how much time passed._

This image, immediately faded, blackness now only covered the vision. _How times have changed…haven't they…Horizon_? A voice impeded on his thoughts. The man stirred on the ground a little. Sara, a young girl with black hair that reached down to her shoulders, reacted to this.

"Wind! Are you alright?" she had worry in her eyes. Windbreaker merely grunted in pain, and only managed a squint in an attempt to open his eyes. A picture of Sara and with a bright smile played across his mind. _You…worry too much…_

_So…that's your new girlfriend huh?_ The gruff voice interrupted his thoughts once again.

_Who are you?_ He asked inside his mind.

_Me? Just someone who now has no identity…I call myself Enigma…you remember…don't you?"_

_You…what are you…how can you speak inside my mind?_

_I am the same as you…_

_Same…as me?_

_Yes, you know full well of what I mean…the ability to see things that others cannot…the ability to slow time down in an instant and see things from a better perspective. The ability to act faster than that of normal pilots._

…

_Hehehe...I remember when you use to be in Revelation…you were the best pilot we had…_

_We? You are in Revelation?_

_Yes…I'm currently looking for some help…_

…_whats Revelation up to now?_

_We are planning on destroying the sinners._

_Sinners?_

_Mankind must atone for their sins, they have battled too much and exploited the resources of this planet far too much…they are a parasite. We plan to exterminate these pests by activating the forbidden technology deep within the boundaries of Fenris Dome…there we will find…the Archangel Pulverizer._

_Archangel Pulverizer?_

_Yes, a power built from the knowledge of our ancestors, an ancient relic with the power to destroy hundreds of civilizations. We will once again awaken it to cleanse the entire world this time._

_Again? You've used it before?_

_Yes_

_How come I was never aware of such a weapon in Revelation._

_After you left and joined the Ark, we decided to resort to the weapon…its quick and efficient, we burnt the UN to the ground with it in a matter of days._

_So…you were the one that did that…_

_Yes, we thought that would teach humanity a lesson...but I guess we thought wrong. So, this time, we will make sure, once and for all that humanity will never make the same mistake as the Great Destruction. By destroying every single last wench that walks on this planet._

_So…why are you telling me this?_

_I know that you don't quite care about it, and I know that you already foresee such things. So too, does the administrator of the Ark and Evangel. You've seen what the future could be like if we don't do something._

_The future, is as of yet undetermined, we could only see to the point of a near chaos situation, we did not see what actually happened._

_Hmph, always waiting till the last moment. You shall see, so will humanity. _The voice faded.

"Hey! Wind?" Sara's voice was loud and clear now. Windbreaker opened his eyes to see the girl's face hovering over his. He rubbed his eyes.

"Ugh…what happened?" he groaned.

"You fell unconscious during the Arena fight between Vanguard and Enigma."

_Enigma…_

"Wind, what happened in there? You started having outbursts and looked like you were in serious pain…" she said, with worry in her eyes.

Windbreaker sat up, still rubbing his eyes, "Just…some migraine…"

"That's a pretty big migraine you had there…'

"Yeah, well…it's the first time I've had one so…who won anyways?" he wanted to change the topic really badly.

"Oh! Vanguard won, you wouldn't believe how much he won by! He was flying circles around Enigma!" her face lightened up and appeared to be her usual excited self again.

_Yes…always bathing in his ever vast glory at the top…wish the Ark would arrange an Arena match with him at least just once…_

"Wind? I have a question…why do you fight so hard?" she asked staring at him.

Windbreaker was puzzles by her question, "What do you mean?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well…every time I work with you in a mission…you seem to always push yourself to the limit…is there a reason why?"

"…that's none of your business…I have my own personal reasons…"

"Okay…but you know…if you need any help, I'm always here for you!"

"…" he looked out of the garage gates that had been opened. It was midnight and the sky was dark blue with a full moon. _She's too optimistic…_

"What?"

"You said, the other day, that you were here to avenge your parents…who were your parents."

"So…your going to help me…" she turned to him in a kneeling position with a look on her face that told Windbreaker that she was very glad and happy.

"Okay…yeah…sure…" he said, hesitating, _I can lose her sooner if I help her..._ "Maybe I can help you if you told me your parent's names…I might know him…"

"Oh…well…my parents were both AC pilots as well…I don't remember they're actual names as I always called them Mom and Dad…but my father's name was Genobee.."

He seemed shocked at this, this was the last thing that Windbreaker expected. He quickly turned to her, trying to hide his surprised and fear, "Who was…your mother?"

"My mother? She worked for Crest…her name was Agraya…" she said looking down at the ground, "Both of whom, were killed by the same pilot…."

"Genobee…Agraya…" the names escaped Windbreaker's mouth.

"You know them?" she asked, looking back up at him.

"Yeah…you could say that….we were…acquaintances…"

Her expression seemed to show how happy she was, "How was he?"

Windbreaker tried to hide his expression. He also didn't want to get into another argument with this girl, "Your father?...well…he was…not the best of pilots….but he was a pretty good man…so was your mother."

"You knew my mother too?"

"..Yeah…" he scratched his head, _not the best of pilots…haha…that's for sure!_

"Then you must know who killed them! I mean, I heard my father was first ranker for a long time in the Ark! News of him getting killed would be big!" she jolted up with rage in her eyes.

"Do you…really want to know who killed your father?" he said as his face darkened.

She nodded with confidence, "Yes! I want to know…to avenge my father's and mother's death!"

"It was…a Raven…known as Horizon," he said staring at the ground.

"Horizon…there's no way…anyone could have defeated dad….dad was strong…stonger than any Raven I have seen," Sara quickly ran off.

"Where are you going?" he asked, still sitting on the edge of the deck.

"I'm going to find this guys and challenge him, to prove to everyone that my father was cheated into death!" she said, turning around. Sara's eyes showed how enraged she was, covered by a veil of confidence. Windbreaker gazed at her, impressed by how much determination she had.

_Those eyes…their just like…mine…back in the days…_He looked back at the dark blue sky outside the garage, "Its hopeless…you can't defeat Horizon…he was too much…your father and mother put up a hella fight and I'll say this….they were pretty good…but…" Sara stared at him as his gaze turned towards the ground, "Horizon was…a monster…he wasn't even human…there's no possible way that anyone, even you, could stand up to him."

"Well, I'll never know till I try! Isn't that right! We always have to give it a shot! Live or die, its better than doing nothing with your life!" she yelled, clenching her fist in anger. Sara's words pierced Windbreaker, it had struck him hard with realization.

…_better than doing nothing with your life…yes…of course…_ he stood up and brushed the dust off of his pants, "Well…its too late now…" Sara had a change of expression, she was puzzled at his words, "Horizon is dead now, he died at the site of the Bayload city destruction…the day that almost led to another Great Destruction…"

"Damn….I wanted to avenge my parents so badly…" her fist shook furiously at her side.

Windbreaker looked at her and narrowed his eyes, "So…what do you plan on doing now? Your goal to avenge your parents deaths are now impossible…"

She looked him in the eye, "Heh…that was my main goal…to avenge my parent's death…" she averted her gaze to the ground, "But now that's impossible for me…however…I do have a second goal…"

Windbreaker raised one eyebrow in curiosity, "And that would be…?"

"To become the best Raven, just like my father! That will be what I will aim for from now on!" she said, her fist raised in a triumphant stance.

_Heh…the old cliché…how entertaining…_Windbreaker stood up, still looking at the nightly sky, "I'm sure…you'll do pretty good…"

Sara simply looked at him and gave him a soft smile, "Thanks…I never would've expected such a complement from you."

"Just don't expect to get past me without some hard work…" he said and grinned.

"Wind!" a voice called out.

"Hm? He turned his head to see Jack-O and his white hair, this time not slicked but scattered making him look like a commoner.

Sara looked over his shoulders with a dumbfounded look on her face, "Wind…who is this?" The man wearing a long brown trench coat and white hair walked towards him.

"The name's Jack-O…I believe your Sara Landfield right? Its an honor to finally meet such a Raven as yourself." He said calmly.

Sara was astonished and amazed, "The Jack-O! The head administrator of Ark!" she pushed Windbreaker out of the way and quickly grabbed Jack-O's hand to shake it, "It is such an honor to finally meet the head of Ark." She smiled with glee. Jack-O chuckled lightly in amusement. Windbreaker was busy dusting himself off from the crash to the floor he had just received.

Jack-O put his hand back into his pocket, "If you wouldn't mind Sara I have some matters to discuss with Windbreaker," Windbreaker just stood there plainly and nodded at her as a sign of privacy.

"Ummmm…okay…"she said walking towards Windbreaker.

He turned towards her, "Just wait for me down at the bar okay? Have a drink or two, this won't take too long…"

"Ummm…okay…" Sara noticed that Windbreaker's tone seemed to have changed right after they had discussed about her father, _He's hiding something…I can just feel it. _She simply nodded and gave him a smile, running off into the distant.

The office was dark only lit by a single dim light, the two figures stood there, Jack-O looked out of his large office window and folded his hands behind his back, "So…I heard that Sara is becoming quite a prominent Raven…I must say, this has turned out to be quite a surprise, especially her dramatic improvement." Jack-O gave a short laugh, "How ironic that you're the one she has been looking for all this time."

"Yes…but Horizon is no more now," Windbreaker said plainly.

"Yes, yes…whatever you say…in any case, I heard his words…I'm sure Evangel did too…it's already a sign…"

Windbreaker's face darkened, "We…can't let it happen…not again…"

"No…we can't….and I'm sure Evangel would agree just as much…if he were here…"

"So…are you going to cooperate with your little brother for once?" Windbreaker found this amusing.

"In any case, Wind, I have an assignment for you…it will take place over a course of events…it could mean you life…" Windbreaker folded his arms in front of his chest and stared plainly out of the window, "are you willing to accept it?"

"What's the mission?"

"First, you must swear to accept the mission…once you have accepted it, there is no turning back, no declination," Jack-O turned around, his face with such an intimidating expression. An expression that earned him the place of administrator of Ark, "It is up to you…it will determine the future of the Ravens…and mankind."

Windbreaker thought it through for a moment, _What have I got lose?_ The silence was soon replaced by his reply, "Mission accepted…"

"Good…now, Wind…listen closely…this is your mission…" both figures had not noticed that it started to rain, the lightning that struck just outside the office window emphasized the mood of Jack-O's expression.

After his discussion with Jack-O and debriefing he walked slowly to the bar to look for Sara. Only one thought was on his mind during the time he had taken to walk there, _This mission…it already tells me…that I am dead…_He looked inside the bar to find a girl with black hair on the counter, just plopped there. He walked towards the sitting figure and put his hand on her shoulder, "Hey! Its time to go…"

Sara spun around to meet his gaze, "Oh! Hey…hic…"

Windbreaker looked at her with his usual curious face and looked towards the glass in her hand, _Hm? Too much alcohol? _He looked back at Sara, whom was clenching tightly to his shirt, "Exactly, how many drinks did you have?"

She drooped over and wrapped one of her arms around his neck, the other still holding the glass and swinging it everywhere, "Uhhhh…let's see…" she held up three fingers in front of her as if inspecting some strange object, "1?"

_Hmmm…low alcohol tolerance…wouldn't have expected that out of her…_

"Can you please…hic…help me get to…my room…" she said with heavy eye lids.

"How can you still be so conscious of what's happening?" he asked dully.

"Geez, Wind…it was only hic one cup!...its nothing so….serious…" Sara hung over his shoulders like a rag doll.

_Wow…she's out cold…what a frickin pain…_Windbreaker decided to carry her to her room, despite the fact that he would enjoy just leaving her there. Her seemed to have been left open without turning on the security lock, _How careless…people could have taken money…_He proceeded inside the room and set her down on the couch. Sara stirred for a moment and rubbed her eyes.

"Wind…what are you doing here?" she said, apparently still in a semi-conscious state.

"Carrying you to your room…that's what you wanted…remember?"

"Oh yeah…you know, Wind…when I first met you…I thought you were one of nicest guys I had met," she said, standing up trying to gain some footing on the carpeted floor.

"Yeah…whatever..." Windbreaker was paying more attention to the class of room she had, _How come she gets a five star quarter and I only get a three?_

"I wasn't sure about my feelings for you yet…but now I know how I really feel about you…" she said walking closer, still in her drowsy state. Windbreaker still paid no attention to her, "I have to say three words, Wind…I love you…" she pressed against his chest.

"…Uh-huh…how interesting," His gaze was fixed on the refrigerator she had,_ What fuckin nice refrigerat- _He felt a force that pushed him down on to the soft bed, "Ack! What the hell are you doing Sar-!" Sara pressed her face against his and enjoyed the feeling to the fullest.


	10. Chapter 10

**Dra Gan the Dradonadian King-Thanks man, glad you enjoyed it! I'll try to keep up the work.**

**Disclaimer: Heres Chapter 10 and I do not own AC, just the characters, enjoy!**

Chapter 10: Shifting Phases

_A ruin of an AC sat at the side of the gigantic circular room. What was left of it lay there, smoking but still twitching, struggling to make a stand. A faint red paint could be seen on its ashened armor. Its right arm, head and left leg had been torn off. Across from the room, an ominous white mech stood there as if it conquered all. It took a step with its right leg to the front slightly, with humane movement, it smoothly brought up its linear rifle. The skeletal structure of its core made it look all the more fierce with its head still in the shadow, and erie blue glow emanating from its head. The pilot inside the ruined AC was battered and beaten. The computer of the machine started to warn the pilot, "DANGER! ESTIMATION OF AP AT LESS THAN 10," The white machine pointed the tip of the linear rifle at its defenseless prey, glaring down at its opponent._

"Why...how could you?..." the girl inside the cockpit attempted to lift herself from the control panel, "I...trusted you...how could you?"

"We're all Ravens...its our job to carry out the mission given to us...right, Sara?" a male with an average timbre in his voice said on the link. The rifle started to glow a brilliant orange and white, deathly to the eyes. The whiteness blinded Sara's vision.

"Ugh!..." Sara jolted upright in her bed, wearing her white tank top and covered down to her waist in a white bedsheet. Perspiration could be seen on her forehead, dripping down onto her clothes, "That dream...how horrible..." she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, still panting from the terrible dream she had, "But...it all seemed so real...too real...what does it mean?" she sat there, on her bed, contemplating on what was reality and what was just a dream, "No...I can't think about this right now...Wind said he would be meeting me in the garage...ah damnit...I promised him I'd meet him there at ten o'clock...its ten thirty, I'd better hurry," Sara got out of her bed, putting on the her clothes and preparing for another day of a Raven.

Windbreaker, a man with brown hair, a cross-shaped scar, and a bandaged right arm, was sitting on a bench in the garage next to his AC, Omen. He rubbed his cheek, it let off a stinging feeling when he touched it. _Ouch! That really hurt...she didn't have to slap me so hard._ After all, it was her who decided to sleep with me...He replayed the motions of how he got out of bed over in his mind. He had woken up to find Sara sleeping on top of him. He nearly jumped out of the bed had it not been the bedsheet that impeded his ability to get off. In the end, he miserably failed the escape and recieved a crash head first with the wall. Soon after, Sara had woken up. Unfortunately for him, she didn't remember anything and it seemed that a cracked head was not enough for one day. _Lesson of a lifetime...never make women angry...he rubbed his cheek a little more, she was really strong too...some PLUS strength or something...man...ouch!_ He decided to stop rubbing the place as it would have most likely created a bulge of some sort.

"Hey! Wind!" Windbreaker looked over to his right at the hallway to see Sara running towards him. She stopped in front of him smiling brightly at him.

"...your late..." he said, crossing his arms.

"Sorry, I slept in...just think of it as...regaining some energy for our next mission!" She said only getting closer with her smile.

He merely looked through the corner of his eye and said, "Whatever..." and shrugged.

"Oh yeah...sorry about slapping you on the cheek today. But I was kinda surprised that you were in bed with me an kinda did what came to mind..." she grabbed his hand and pulled it towards her, "Please, will you forgive me?"

"Okay, okay...just let go of my hand!" He retracted his hand as soon as Sara had released her grip of it.

"So? What's the mission today? Before you left, you said Jack-O had assigned you a mission." she said, with an anxious look on her face.

"Ahhh...oh yeah...that mission. Jack-O wants us to investigate a monument of some sort that Crest and Mirage dug up near Fenris Dome. He said he wanted you to come as well," he said.

"Me! He wants me to go! Jack-O wanted me to go on a mission! I can't believe it!" she seemed excited and jumped up with glee.

_I don't see whats the big deal...its just another mission..._Windbreaker was less enthusiastic of all missions. He got quite fed up with a normal routine mission. He got up and started head towards his ACs cockpit.

Sara realized that Windbreaker was gone and looked around for him. She turned around to see he was on the deck heading for his AC, "Hey! Where do you think your going?" she yelled.

He turned his head and looked down at her, "Getting my AC...we need them to do our missions eh?" he turned around and opened the cockpit to proceed inside.

"Oh right! What are we waiting for?" She hurried to her AC, preparing it for the mission ahead.

Inside the transport that was transporting ACs Omen and Crimson Tear to the destination. Sara and Windbreaker sat beside eachother on the benches that lay before the hangars. Only the hovering sound of the plane's boosters could be heard. The silence was broken by Sara, "Wind...today, after you left...I dozed off again and had an awful dream..."

Although it was not of any interest to Windbreaker, he decided to ask of the dream for reasons he could not understand, "Dream? What was it about?" his mind seemed to think differently though, What! I'm not interested in her dream! Why the hell did I even ask about it then!

"Well...I don't know what happened before...but...there was a white mech in front of me...and my AC had been badly beaten by it. It was really strange too, the mech wasn't anything I had ever seen, it seemed unbeatable," she looked up at the ceiling, trying to find words to describe her dream. "It was strange...the mech had a pilot...he spoke to me...his voice was so familar...ugh...can't really put my finger on it...who was it?" her gaze landed on Windbreaker, "The AC...it was a really wierd pure white too...and the light it emitted from its head was a really wierd blue too...and its core...it looked like some white demon...ugh...it was so faint but it all seemed so real."

The words Sara had just said caught Windbreaker's attention this time, "A...white demonic mech?"

"Yeah...that's what I could remember..." she suddenly looked up at him with her usual bright smile, "But hey, its just a dream, its nothing...but I never expected you to care about anything...especially about something as ethereal as a dream," she said with curiosity.

"Meh...I didn't care...I was just curious though as to what dream you were having..." he said, sitting there with his back laying against the metallic walls of the plane.

"Well...whatever...I really think you've changed since I first met you Wind!"

"Whatever..." she kissed him on the cheek on layed her head on his shoulder. He didn't seem to be phased, he just looked at her while she closed her eyes and layed on his shoulder with her arms wrapped around his arm.

_A white mech...hmmmm...I wonder...could she be referring to...that?_He pondered on this thought until they had reached their destination.

"Ravens, We've reached our destination. I'm going to be dropping you off now." the pilot of the transport turned his head and said to the two. Windbreaker nodded and quickly made haste for his AC, so did Sara.

"Ravens, be careful! A sandstorm is iminent there. Jack-O is expecting some heavy resistance from the group that just made an uprising known as Revelation, so you'll be working with two other Ravens on this mission." Karens voice rang out on the communication link in both ACs as they fell to the metal ground surrounding a large perfectly square and smooth building. Two other ACs could be seen on the ground as well. One of them was dark blue with a grey outlining, the other a blood red AC with bright orange outlining. Crimson Tear's computer registered the two ACs as friendly units, ones they were supposed to work with.

"ALLIED ACs IDENTIFIED AS FORESIGHT AND PYROBIRD."

"Hey! You guys ready to have some fun?" a tenor voice coming from the pilot of the red AC, known as Pyrobird, said.

"Huh? Aren't you Carom? Your one of the top ten rankers in the arena aren't you?" Sara said noticing the AC beside Carom's was Vanguard's AC, Foresight, "I'm going to work with Vanguard? Oh god! I'm so lucky!" she was trying to supress the urge to dance around in her cockpit.

Vanguard opened up a private link to Windbreaker's AC, "So...Jack-O finally decided to cooperate with me after all these years?"

"Yeah, I guess so, he knows your Evangel already...I never did figure out why he kicked you out of the Ark in the first place. The news said you were to be expelled because you made a direct contract with Crest but that didn't seem like you..."

"Well, being the older sibling, he thought that I was too young to be in the Ark and decided to expel me. Although, I do not blame him, he is my older brother after all," Vanguard said plainly.

"I'll never understand sibling relationships...nor women for that matter..." Windbreaker said running his hand through his hair.

Vanguard laughed at this, "Indeed you won't...well...in any case...Jack-O's plans are underway so theres no turning back now. Do you think you can handle it...I mean...your part of the mission isn't exactly easy...especially with Revelation on your tail."

"...I'll somehow manage..."

Foresight turned around to face the sandstorm that seemed to engulf all of the ACs, "The prophecy that Enigma told us of...it might come true...however..." Foresight turned its head towards Crimson Tear, "She may be the key to all this..."

"..." Windbreaker was silent for the moment.

"Hey, Wind?" Sara's voice interrupted him.

"Yeah?" he said closing his eyes trying to sleep inside his cockpit.

"Tell me about that group called Revelation, the one you said you used to be in," she asked.

Windbreaker leaned his head against the padding of the chair and started to talk, "Revelation is a mysterious organization. They say that they're true purpose is to make sure order is maintained throughout civilization..." he hesitated, gathering the words to comprehend the organization's purpose, "but in fact, their tru purpose is to destroy all of humanity through the use of the ancient technology they have gained. They think that the Ravens stand in their way and are probably view us as a rival organization."

"Wow, Wind...that sounds pretty bad...but I know we can pull through. Right? We're Ravens! We can take anything on!" her voice seemed to waver a little but still had its usual energy.

_Heh...thats what you think..._Windbreaker folded his arms behind his head and layed it on the cockpit seat for a while.

"WARNING! ENEMY TARGETS DETECTED!"

"Wha-!" Windbreaker had no time to react as AC Omen was struck down, hitting the ground hard.

"Ohhh...great...and in a sandstorm like this too...they couldn't have picked a better time for this..." Carom grumbled.

Omen recovered from the fall it had. The AC was still undamaged and seemed to work perfectly. Barely visible, a dark figure seemed to approach them. Its head still hidden in the shadows gave an erie blue glow. It held a SHADE rifle and a MOONLIGHT blade. Stopping in its tracks, it stood in front of the four Ravens, its figure unphased by the sandstorm. Windbreaker immediately recognized the AC.

"Enigma..."

"Heh...I see you've brought friends Windbreaker...no matter, I can deal with all of you. But what a day, to have to take out two NBPs..."

Sara had a dumbfounded look on her face, she didn't know what was going on and she didn't know why Enigma was here, "Why is Enigma here? And whats an NBP?" her question was not answered as the black AC known as Nova, boosted into Carom's AC, slamming it into the ground. The black AC disapeared into the mist of sand. Omen and Foresight followed the black ACs trail, disapearing behind the sandstorm as well. Crimson Tear stood still, its pilot was being aware of the surroundings. A laser was suddenly fired towards Crimson Tear, the AC boosted away in time to dodge the beam of light. A black AC flew in at a high speed, drawing its MOONLIGHT blade and slashing at Crimson Tear. The blade merely scratched the E2 core of Crimson Tear as it boosted upwards. A cluster of missiles hit Nova before it had time to react. Pyrobird joined the frey and started firing its R3 rifle, a new series that was meant as a rapid fire type rifle. Nova attempted to back away but failed as Carom unleashed his EO weapon attack from his GAIA core. The energy shells took out one of Nova's missile packs as it boosted to the left. The black AC boosted forwards while firing its SHADE rifle at Pyrobird. It stopped in front of Pyrobird for a moment and unleashed its energy blade, Carom was ready and countered with his LB4, the new blade developed by Crest thanks to the jointing of Mirage and Crest. Both light blue blades clashed against one another, the stalemate ended when Nova started charging up its over boosters. The black AC dropped its SHADE rifle and knocked the LB4 blade away followed by grappling onto Pyrobird's core with its right hand. Nova's overboosters kicked in, the thrust was more than enough to knock Pyrobird off its stability and push it into the ground. Eventually, the reverse joint legs of Pyrobird collapsed, the AC layed on the ground, unable to stand up. Nova stood in front of the crippled AC, with its MOONLIGHT blade extended and its arm pulled back, poised to pierce the cockpit of the AC. A grenade shell came from the mist of the sands, knocking the MOONLIGHT out of the ACs left arm.

"Urghhh!" The black AC stumbled back, its legs on the verge of breaking.

The computer of Nova interrupted Enigma in his cockpit, "WARNING! ESTIMATION OF AP AT 50! LEG UNITS ARE AT 30 EFFICIENCY!"

"Damn!" He slammed his control panel, "We'll finish this some other time..." The black AC turned around and overboosted into the sandstorm, disappearing from the field of view.

"Enigma...I wonder...what was he doing here?" Sara stared off into the sandstorm which was dying, "Hey! Wheres Wind? And Vanguard? They didn't get lost did they?" she said, checking all her display screens for signs of activity.

"Ravens! Theres been a change of plans! We've detected a large Kisaragi squadron headed your way. Recover the Pyrobird and leave the area immediately!" Karen said.

"But Wind and Vanguard! We can't find them!" Sara said, still checking everywhere for signs.

"Don't worry...I'm sure they just spotted the squadron ahead of time and decided to leave..." Carom interrupted, his AC was struggling to get up.

"Then how come they didn't tell us about anything?" she snapped at him.

Carom could tell by the tone of her voice that she was worried. He decided to calm her down as much as he could, "Listen, the sandstorm can cause many interference with ECM equipment, they probably couldn't get in contact with us. Relax! They're probably back at the Ark..."

"...I hope your right...I just really hope..." she said biting her lower lip, _But how come...I get the feeling that...theres more to this than just meets the eye?_ Sara decided to go with it as it was the better choice to leave rather than fight in their condition. A transport had located them through the storm, which now had gotten smoother. They retrieved the ACs and pilots and took flight, flying towards the Ark.

The Ark was large, and finding two people in the Ark was as hard as it could get. Sara finally gave up and went to her room, not expecting what news awaited her in the room. "Ugh! I'm so tired...maybe I can look around for Wind tomorrow..." she extended both arms up in the air and yawned. Walking towards her bed, she noticed her red mail light was on at her informations system control panel. "Huh? Mail? At this hour?...maybe its from Wind!" Sara ran to the control panel and pressed the flashing red button. The mail happened to be an announcement from the Ark to the Ravens. "An announcement only?...well...I guess it wouldn't hurt to see..." She clicked on the mail icon in her desktop and a letter stated to all Ravens popped up along with two familiar AC pictures. Sara was shocked at what was in the letter, she retracted in disbelief.

_This is an announcement from the Ark to all Ravens._

The Ravens, Windbreaker and Vanguard have been charged with high treason for traitorous acts. Investigation and monitering of these two Ravens have proven that they have been working as covet spies for the group known as Revelation. Normally we would not go to such an extent as to putting a bounty on a Raven for just simply switching sides, however, Revelation is not a corporation and has also been found using forbidden technology for their own purposes. We are willing to offer fifty million credits for bringing back these pilots dead or alive. The two are highly skilled and professional at AC, caution is advised!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Finding the Path

"What the hell is this!" The young female slapped a piece of paper onto the desk. Sitting in the desk was a man with short white hair. He was known as Jack-O, the head administrator of the Ark and revered Raven. The female standing in front of him had black hair down to her shoulders, she was known as Sara Landfield. She was a new Raven, and had come to clarify what the previous announcement was all about, "I know Wind and he would never do anything like this!" she yelled. Despite the girl yelling at him with such fury, Jack-O maintained his calm demeanor and simply cuffed his hands together on the table.

"And what might this be?" He asked, calmly.

"This was an announcement made from the Ark! It stated that Vanguard and Wind were both traitors! What is going on! Wind was just with me on a mission and then he disappears and now this!"

Jack-O picked up the paper in a smooth motion, his eyes scanning the page, "Hmmmmm…that's interesting…"

Sara seemed puzzled by his comment, "What is!"

"This announcement…I had no idea nor did I arrange for such a thing…"

She retracted a little, "So…what does…that mean then?"

The administrator placed the paper down and calmly looked up at her, "The Ark is acting up again…"

"Acting up? What do you mean? You're the head administrator of Ark! Your supposed to know what happens here!" she slammed both of her hands on the table.

"No…that is not really how the Ark works…" Sara rage was soon replaced by confusion, "You see…I'm only the head of Ark…I only arrange for important matters only. The Ark's main activities like missions and announcements, are made by a group of representatives. These representatives were selected because of their knowledge and wisdom…it is possible…" Jack-O stopped, seeming to fear something.

"It is possible that what? What's possible?" she asked, panicking.

"Its possible that…the Ark's representatives were all Revelation members, I'm sure you've heard of the group…a bad uprising organization wishing to do away with the Ark. They use forbidden technology to their advantage making them a fierce force. Fortunately, I am the head administrator…"

"So…what now?"

"Heh…I have an assignment for you…its connected to Windbreaker and Vanguard…"

"Whats the mission?"

"Mirage and Crest have supposedly, spotted some weird activity within the vicinity of Bayload's ruins…I believe that's your hometown. This mission was not assigned to normal Ravens because of where the location is."

"…"

"Two ACs were seen…one of them fits the description of Windbreaker's AC, with its oversized shoulders that seemed like auxiliary boosters."

She nodded, "That's it alright…no other AC would have boosters on its shoulders."

"I'm assigning you the mission. Investigate and assist in Windbreaker's and Vanguard's mission as much as possible."

"Their mission? Wait! What the hell are you talking about?"

Jack-O hesitated for a moment and then responded, "When you find them, ask them yourself…it is better if they talk to you about what is going on." His gaze was that of a dreamy gaze. He seemed to be spacing out, "I've also assigned the Ravens Shade and Carom to this mission…don't worry, their professionals…so then…are you willing to accept to mission?"

Sara had no intention of backing out. She was willing to go to any extent to help Windbreaker and find out what was going on, "I accept!" she said, with a stern face.

"Hmmm…alright then….you'll probably find Shade in his quarters in C-11…and Carom…you'll have to look for him, that kid is always so random…" he said, still holding his calm position.

"Kid?"

His gaze shifts to the side, "Uhhhh…never mind…just get going on your mission as soon as possible and…good luck!" Jack-O stood up from his desk and saluted the young female.

"I'll try sir!" she replies with a salute as well and left the administrator's room.

The white haired man sat down slowly, looking at the paper that she had left on his desk, "…those two…every time I give them a mission they create more problems then they solve…" he lets off a sigh of pain and slouches his shoulders slightly, "…I guess I have to restructure the Ark…again! This is the fifth time this year."

A knock on the door seemed to have aroused the man's attention. He was laying on his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, still wearing his barely transparent shades and a buzzed black hair style, "Come in!" he said, looking to his side at the silver door that slid open.

"Ummm…excuse me…are you…Shade?"

"Yeah, that's me…I suppose you're the new rookie that Jack-O mentioned I'll be working with," he said, looking back at the ceiling. Sara nodded at him in a shy manner. She was a bit nervous that she would make a bad impression to one of the top rankers, The man snatched his leather jacket from the chair beside the bed and walked over to her, "Okay then…lets go," he put a hand on her shoulder, "Your pulse is tense…try to relax…panicking will get us nowhere."

"Oh! Ahhhh…okay…" the realization hit her when she remembered something, "Ahhh! Sir, aren't we supposed to find Carom first?" she said straightening up again as his icy gaze turned to her through his shades.

"Oh yeah…right…that kid…" He sighed, "Right, I know where to find him…"

Shade had taken her to a place in the Ark where she had never seen before. It was a large opening in the wall and various sounds were coming out of it. She stood there, gawking at the fact that Shade had led them here. The black haired man crossed his arms and stood there. Sara broke the silent, "The Arcade! Carom is in the Arcade!"

He scratched the back of his head, "Uhhhh….yeah…"

"Whoa! Hey Shade, and what are you doing here? Oh! You finally gave up on being all downright cold and decided to join me on the little fun huh? I knew you couldn't resist!" A man with blonde hair and a dark orange jacket came out holding a large stuffed teddy bear at his side with one hand.

"Ahhhh…no…don't you remember the mission, Carom?" he said shaking his head in disappointment.

"Oh! Right! Its just that I got caught up resting! Gotta lighten up a bit, man!" he said seeming to laugh with his sentence.

Shade only screwed up his face, "You gotta shapen up, Carom. Your record in battle so far has been declining and…what the hell is that for!" he pointed to the stuffed toy under Carom's arm.

"This? Uhhh….its…a present…for….Stephanie!" he said flushing a bit.

Shade raised an eyebrow, "Okay…well….do your stuff quickly and lets go quickly, we don't have much time!"

"Okay, okay…sheesh…a guy can't get a break for once…" he walked away slouching while mumbling to himself.

Sara stood there, baffled at how the top ranker she had previously praised in her mission, seemed to act no more than a six year old_…now I know why everybody keeps calling him a kid…_

The transport carried the three through the winds to the ruins that lay below. Sara only thought of painful memories when she saw the display through her screen, _Dad…mom…the Ark's situation seems so deep…am I doing the right thing in getting so involved?_

"Since this mission was disclosed I'll be your operator for the time being," Jack-O interrupted through the rough static of the comm-link, "There's some unnatural ECM frequency that's affecting the communications, its not strong enough to severe connection with the Ark communication but it is enough to interfere with your link, be careful Ravens…I have a feeling someone will try to stop you…"

"Copy that! AC Blade moving out," Shade announced. Three ACs descended from the transport onto the ruins. A black AC took the lead, it was a quad type equipped with a shotgun and a machine gun and a backmounted slug gun. Its DRONE head made it look all the more intimidating.

"Alright Ravens…spread out, we'll search the ruins separately, cover more ground," Shade said through the static that appeared even more rough on the surface. Blade boosted off into the distance. Carom's orange AC, Pyrobird, seemed to have landed elsewhere. All that was left in the center of the a tall building was a dark red AC known as Crimson Tear.

"So…what am I supposed to be looking for?" Sara asked, to no one in particular.

"Anything suspicious…and keep an eye out for Vanguard and Windbreaker's AC…" Jack-O replied.

_Right…like there's gonna be any suspici-_ She was cut from her thoughts when a solid shell had been fired her way. The lightweight AC quickly dodged out of the way, scanning for the gunner that had made the shot. A large dark green figure stepped out, with a single red eye and an oddly shaped gun in its hand. Four more of the mechs stepped out from the cover of the buildings as well. Crimson Tear took a step back in response to the newcomers. The five figures in total started boosting towards Crimson Tear with great speed, as if hovering above the ground with ease and fired their odd rifles.

Crimson Tear made no hesitation in overboosting to the left and fired a grenade shot from its left hand unit. The shell made contact with one of the units, attempting to turn around while boosting. A large explosion made the green mech recoil and crash into one of the already ruined buildings. The other four mechs disappeared, hiding behind the buildings. Smoke could only be seen in the spot where the mech collided with the building. A shadow could be seen behind the curtain of smoke, its movement was humane and the figure itself seemed to breath. As the smoke began to blow away, the green mech could be still plainly seen, standing as if nothing had happened, not a scratch on its dark armor. A mist began to engulf the entire ruins, "What the hell! What's with the sudden mist!", the dark mech took the opportune moment and boosted to the left, firing its rifle. Crimson Tear reacted by boosting up in the air taking careful aim with its sniper rifle, it fired piercing rounds, some of which seemed to make holes through the iron giant, "Ha! That'll teach you to mess with me!" the giant merely boosted backwards, its feet met with the ground with a thud. It stood there as if nothing happened, "What kind of MT is this! I've never seen anything like it! It just keeps on coming," she soon realized something horrific, her radar was in static and her lock-on was not functioning properly, her eyes flashed to the display screen that indicated the ECM frequency, "ECM! 1620 joules! It wasn't that high before…so….these guys are using some heavy ECM equipment too…" it seemed as though only seconds before the other four MTs reappeared behind her, sending Crimson Tear crashing to the ground and firing at every second at its vulnerable torso. The red mech turned over as soon as it could but met with one of the MTs pushing it into one of the nearest buildings, causing the building to collapse and part of the AC to explode, "Ahhhhhh!" The red AC, defeated, sat there in the ruins, sparks flying from each joint from the major damage it had received. Sara sat in the cockpit, blood trickled down the side of her head. She was panting hard, her eyelids ready to give way because of the lack of energy she was feeling. "This…can't be the end…I haven't helped Wind yet!" the five black figures started to approach her when a wave of destruction swept past them, all five of them demolished through the mist. Various shots caught the MTs off guard, only in a matter of seconds were they reduced to nothing more than smoke and flying pieces of shrapnel. Sara was barely able to keep her eyes open but managed to see through her fading vision, "…Wind?" she could no longer keep her strength and passed out.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Scars from Time

_A large ominous figure knelt in front of two large gates. The figure seemed to be breathing deeply. Wires from where its left arm once was were dangling out emitting sparks of light. Various lights jumped from its joints. The giant moved in slow jerky motions. Its once pure white armor was now darkened to an ashen grey. The gates opposite to the giant slowly slid open, revealing a thin figured with dark red paint. It held a sniper rifle and a grenade launcher on its left hand. Slowly, the new red giant walked towards the defeated mech, "No please! Stop!" a female voice yelled with a worried tone. The damaged mech merely looked up at the newcomer, seeming to tremble with agony and pain. In only seconds, pillars of flames bursted out from its core. The mech collapsed, engulfed in flames._

A girl woke up, stirred from her nightmare. She was panting hard, sweat rolling down her pale face and neck, _That machine…I dreamt about that machine again…but this time…it was like I was …worried…_

"Oh…so you decided to finally wake up. How are you feeling, Sara?" A man sat on a chair that was situated next to the door across the room. He had brown eyes and black hair that reached his neck. He wore a brown long sleeved jacket.

"Ugh…I feel…fine…I think…"she said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes rigorously. Her long black hair now cascaded over her face.

"Good, I'm sure Windbreaker will be more or less than thrilled to hear about that…" the man said peeling and orange. Sara stopped rubbing her eyes and focused on the man that was sitting across the room.

"…Vanguard?" his face now seeming familiar, "Wait! If you're here…then were's Wind!" she looked around the room.

He chuckled lightly, "Don't worry, he's in the garage tuning his AC." Vanguard threw the skin of the orange in the cylindrical garbage bin near him. "I'm sure you have many questions right now…you should probably ask Windbreaker about it all." He said, picking a piece of orange and putting it in his mouth.

"...where exactly are we?" she asked. Vanguard popped a piece of the orange into his mouth.

"We're at an old garage in what used to be Bayload city. This garage use to belong to the Ark but after the fall of Bayload city, its been abandoned and labeled as a danger zone," Sara only remained silent, "Heh…Wind, told me about who you were looking for…" her eyes shifted towards Vanguard, he had gotten her attention from that one sentence, "This use to be Windbreaker's old base of operations…and Horizon's."

"…did you know Horizon?"

"Yeah…he was some pilot too. I'm sure Windbreaker knows him as well…" Sara listened carefully to what Vanguard was saying, taking in each piece of information he was providing, "Windbreaker….fought alongside with Horizon on the same day Bayload city fell…I don't know how Windbreaker survived but…anyways, I think it be best you ask Wind yourself, the garage is just down the hallway to your left." He pointed at the door.

The hallways were dark and the metal walls seemed to have rusted over the years. The young Raven walked down the corridor hearing a faint clanking sound in the distant. She followed the clanking sound, aware that there was a beam of light at the end of the corridor. She poked her head out of the corner to find a large blue mech standing by the deck. It had large oversized pincer like shoulders. Sara knew the mech to be AC Omen, Windbreaker's AC. The only thing that she noticed that was different about it was it had the new head unit ,SR3, making it look all the more deadly. Sounds of clanking could be heard coming from the AC itself. Sara crept over to the AC to find a male behind the AC, tinkering with what seemed to be its boosters. All that could be made out from the person was he was wearing a black jacket with the Raven insignia on the back with black jeans.

"…Wind?" she said tilting her head to get a better view of the person in front of her.

The man threw the wrench that he was holding aside and turned around, his black hair swiveling with his motion, "So…Jack-O sent you as reinforcements eh? He must really think highly of you…how amusing…" he wiped his hands and forehead with a cloth that lay beside him. She merely stared at him as if inspecting him, he grew irritated by her actions and had and outburst, "What! The hell are you staring at!"

Sara sighed, slouching her shoulders, "That's just like you, Wind…to be so cold…" Windbreaker suddenly found himself staring face to face with an angry female, something he never wished for. "You bastard! Did you know how worried I was! First you disappear without a trace then the Ark announces you are working with Revelation!" 

Windbreaker shifted his gaze to elsewhere to avoid eye contact with the girl, _Great…why did Jack-O have to send her of all people?_

"And now I find you here and what do you say! One of your cold remarks!" she stood there for a moment, staring at the ground in silence. Windbreaker took a step to the side only to feel a sudden tightening around his waist.

"Gack!" struggling to breath for air, he was also attempting to escape from the force exerted on his chest, Damn...why….does it always…have to be me!

Sara held on tightly, her arms wrapped around his waist and her head laying on his chest, "I really missed you, Wind…" Windbreaker stopped wriggling as he felt his shirt getting wet. He looked down at the girl, her black her shining, whimpering sounds came from her.

He sighed a little, "Alright…okay! I get the point…please let go of me now before my shirt is soaking."

Windbreaker had to change due to the fact that he had been covered in dirt and just recently soaked with tears. They sat by the stairs, while Sara informed him of what happened at the Ark and why Jack-O sent her. "So…Wind…I have a couple questions...I didn't get to ask them back at the Ark…"

He hesitated, not wanting to go through the trouble of explaining things so much but decided that he would answer seeing as how she would pester him to the edge anyways, "And….what questions would those be?"

She hesitated for a moment trying to gather the right words to form her questions, she looked down at his arm that was wrapped in bandages and his cross shaped scar, "how did you get those scars?"

He simply raised an eyebrow at her, "Hm? These? Why do you want to know?"

"Because its not everyday that you see someone with those type of wounds…so…what happened?"

Windbreaker turned his cold gaze towards his AC, "It was...two years ago...when I was just a new Raven in the fold...all hell broke loose, all the Ravens had fought against the unknown MTs that arose, bringing destruction in their wake..."

"Those MTs...wouldn't have been the same ones that destroyed Bayload city...would they?" she asked with a concerned face.

He walked up to the foot of his AC, staring at its dark blue painting,"Yes...that was the last day of Bayload city..." his mind drifted off into one of his memories again, a memory of himself when he was just a new Raven.

_Ashes of ruins lay across the field. Arms and legs that were made of metal lay on the ground, fresh black smoke still rising from the death that lay around. The air was quiet, only the sounds of whistling wind seemed to stir. In the middle of the waste lay a corpse, still wriggling, struggling for life. The was just a youth with short brown hair, blood dripping down everywhere on his face. He was soaking wet from the drizzling rain that came pouring down. He reached his hand out towards the wreckage nearby. A faint pink paint and a raded symbol that resembled that of an angel with a spear could be seen on one of the metal plates of the wreckage._

"C...Charisma...Nooooooooo!" he yelled still extending his hand out. Trickles of tears started to come out of his eyes, hardly visible through the rain. "Charisma!" the youth cried out until the energy had vanished from him. The boy lay there with his eyes wandering out into the grey clouds that seemed to have no boundaries. An object appeared in the sky, it seemed to emit a faint light blue light while getting closer at the same time. Moments later, the object now a giant landed before him accompanied by several helicopters that flew in the sky. The giant was white with several yellow glowing eyes emitting from its head. It held a long silver gun in its right hand. The godly figure kneeled down on one leg, placing its hand just infront of its torso. The front of the torso opened up, revealing a tall figure standing on the giant's hand. The man standing on the white mech's hand had short white hair, his long coat flapping in the winds. The white haired man walked towards the corpse that was sprawled there and kneeled over beside him.

"You must be tired of this miserable excuse for a life huh , Wind?" he asked in a low voice. The youth whom was laying on the ground moved his mouth to speak, but nothing came out, only a gasp for life could be heard. "Tell you what, Wind? I'll make you a deal, I help you recover so you can get back at the certain someone who caused all this...who killed your love...and you...will work for me, as an elite Raven. Come on! It won't be like before, you'll be given more priveliges.." the man cracked a grin, "However...your main purpose...will be to destroy those who get out of line...so...do we have a deal?" the bloody youth grunted, "Good! I knew you were smart, I'll have a paramedic over here right now then..." the man stood up and walked away.

"Thats how I got my scars...from surviving that battle. Thanks to Jack-O, I'm still alive...so...I owe him my life no matter what..." Windbreaker finished.

"You...lost someone...didn't you? Someone close to you..." she said walking up beside him.

"...yes..." he continued to stare at his large specialized AC.

Sara felt guilty, she had always thought Windbreaker to be a Raven who simply did not care for anything except for himself. The only reason she liked him was probably because she prefered men like him. But now, Sara knew that Windbreaker was more than some simple man. He had a dark past, and probably didn't want any more to happen, so he shuts himself off to the world. This was what ran through Sara's mind that moment. She motioned her hands towards Windbreaker's back, "Wind...I'm sorry..." she muttered. Before her hand reached him Windbreaker walked off to the stairs and beside his AC.

"Well...that's all in the past now...we can forget about it. Did you have any other questions before move on?"

The girl was shocked at his quick reply but decided to move on, she was in thought for a moment. She thought back to the battle she recently had two days ago with Enigma, only two questions popped up in her mind, "The battle with Enigma...he said you were a...NBP...what the hell is an NBP! And what was Enigma doing there!"

"Tell her, Wind!" steps could be heard coming from the stairs. Vanguard had entered at that moment, "Tell her what we are...and what we're facing...she's already too involved in this so it won't hurt anything." Vanguard was different, his face was hardened and serious as opposed to his usual slack attitude with a smile personality.

"We!" she was surprised by Vanguard's entrance and even more so from his statement.

Windbreaker turned to her with a fixed cold gaze. His dark eyes now more prominent than Sara had ever seen, "NBPs...stands for Naturally Born Pluses."

Her eyes widened at what he said, "Pluses! As in...artificially enhanced! But...I thought that was prohibited!"

"It is...however...both me, Vanguard, Jack-O and Engima were naturally born. We were not made in labs, consider the term half-breed if you may. Our parents were pluses who gave birth to use before they died..." Windbreaker placed his hands in his pocket. "NBPs have enhanced abilities compared to normal people. They have a better reaction time and see things from a different perspective, speed and angle from normal people which makes them perfect strategists."

Sara was silent for the moment. She did not know what to make of all the information she had just heard, couldn't register that her companion had such a deep secret, "...so...if Enigma is also an NBP...why is he fighting against you?"

Vanguard immediately cut in, stepping front of Windbreaker and waving his hand in the air with a gesture that indicated he needed to get into to Omen. Windbreaker nodded and walked away to the deck that hooked onto his AC. "On the day when those flying MTs were activated, visions started flooding our mind...indicating of the future...or just one possibility of the future." He was silent for a moment. Windbreaker stood motionless with his back turned facing the inside of his AC's cockpit. It was clear the cold Raven was listening to every word that Vanguard was saying, as if making sure of something. Vanguard continued, "It indicated that all civilization would be destroyed...if we keep on this path of prying into the lost technology...the forbidden technology..."

Sara tried to stead herself from what she was hearing. It seemed too sudden to be hearing anything of this sort. "How...terrible..."

Vanguard nodded, "Indeed, and we don't want this future either...however...not all NBPs share the same perspective...Enigma sees this as a sign of punishment from god to all of humanity for prying...so he created Revelation as a means to boast his offensive."

"So...your saying...he's insane?" she tilted her head a bit.

Vanguard chuckled, "Yes, I guess that's a possibility..."

"Hey! We don't have much time left, we have to leave, the mission should be starting now!" Windbreaker yelled leaning against the railing.

"Oh right! I completely forgot about the mission..." Vanguard scratched the back of his head. He turned to Sara, "Well...better suit up...we're going out right now, hope your prepared."

Something then struck Sara, "Wait! What about Shade and Carom! They were with me an-" Vanguard cut her off.

"Relax, we sent them back to Ark to report our current status to Jack-O, it seems they also encountered those new MTs that you fought, their ACs were badly damaged and we had no more supplies after repairing yours so we sent them back."

"What were those MTs by the way? I've never seen them before and the ECM they used was off the charts!"

"Oh, those would be called KNIGHTs, they use high ECM particles which was probably the mist you saw out there. They're Revelations latest MTs. Their built from the forbidden technology but are pretty harmless if you know how to take care of them...anyways, it would be wise to get going. Our mission starts in five minutes, " he said looking at his wrist watch. Sara nodded and ran off, seeing her AC in the hangar behind Omen's. She noticed Windbreaker had already gotten into Omen and made haste.

There was a moment where everything on the moniters flashed open, revealing multiple moniters and displays on the AC and its surroundings. Omen could be seen in her front moniter, "Come to think of it...I've never really analyzed Wind's AC...I wonder what parts he uses..." out of curiosity, she targeted the dark blue AC and pressed some buttons on the keyboard beside her, the mech's computer started speaking in its female monotonist voice.

"UNIT IDENTIFIED AS OMEN. REGISTERED AS ALLY. ANALYZING TARGET..." there was a moment before the computer reviewed the results of Omen's assembly. The list was odd enought to surprise Sara, _Wind...what the hell is this!_

"UNABLE TO ANALYZE TARGET. AC ASSEMBLY NOT CORRESPONDING TO REGISTERED PARTS IN ARK. HIGH ENERGY RESPONSE DETECTED WITHIN UNIT...INSUFFICIENT DATA."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Fearless Death

"So, Wind, what's the mission this time?" a curious young girl asked through comm link of her control panel. Three ominous figures stood outside of an immense gate that seemed to connect somewhere underground. The metal on the gate was scratched and dented and seemed to have been here for ages.

"Our objective is to investigate into Enigma's activities. Jack-O wants to get rid of him before anything serious happens. Sources indicate that there have been suspicious sightings of a couple MTs and ACs moving materials here. Jack-O suspects that Enigma may be hiding in here and has sent us to take him out. You got that?" the brown haired man said scanning the surroundings for anything that would occur. He piloted a blue middle weight AC with large shoulder boosters known as Omen. To its right was a light weight AC, equipped mostly with firearms and a dark red paint, the name Crimson Tear seemed to fit it. To its left was the navy blue AC known as Foresight, known to use Linear type attacks to great effect.

"Yeah…hey, Wind…do you think maybe we could go out for something to eat after this?" the raven-black haired girl asked.

"…did you say something?" Windbreaker was more focused on unlocking the gate. The codes going down his screen seemed endless, he couldn't help but think that he always got stuck doing all the hard work. _Damn that Jack-O…I didn't think he would go so far as to giving me the crack code…I hate hacking into gate systmes, its so tedious…_

"N-nothing…I was just mumbling to myself that's all!" Sara stuttered with a blush on her face. An echoed beep inside Windbreaker's cockpit stated that the gate was unlocked.

"Alright…we're in, I'll go first…" The giant rusted gates slowly slide open. Omen stepped into the dark rusted corridors. Crimson Tear and Foresight proceeded after it had gone in. Several guns popped out from the roof of the large hallway and started firing radiant blue streaks of light. The shots skinned Omen's armor, hardly denting it. "Heh, they've setup some defense systems here. Looks like they were prepared…however…" the large AC raised its linear rifle and started killing off the gun turrets one by one. Another similarly rusted gate could be seen up ahead.

"Hmmmm….that's odd…I'm picking up some activity on the other side of this gate…" Vanguard inside Foresight said, with his shoulder length black hair hanging down as he inspected his radar. To everyone's surprise, the gates slid open automatically, making a creaking sound as the doors slid into the slots at the side. The first one to proceed through the door was the large dark blue AC with its large shoulders. Omen's glowing blood red laser eye scanned the inside of the room. It was covered with grass and some intersecting roads. At the center of the vastly large room was a large skyscraper, seeming to reach to the heavens.

"What the hell is a place like this doing here?" Windbreaker questioned, curious of what purpose the place was constructed for. There was a loud screeching sound echoing inside the room, the ground started to shake violently as shells were being launched and contacting the ground. Fire started to spread on the grassy plains and black smears covered the ground and the large building in the center. Several large green MTs with red Cyclops eyes stepped out from behind the building.

"KNIGHTs eh? Looks like Revelation is here…" Windbreaker smirked. "But I don't have time for this!" Omen immediately boosted in a zig zag motion, avoiding the shots the MTs where attempting to land on it. The blue AC extended its left arm out and a long blue beam emerged from the yellow unit on its arm. One of the KNIGHTs was caught in the blades radius, its upper torso came down with a hard thud. Omen slid to a halt in front of the door. "Eh?...awww…crap!" the blue mech turned around to face an MT pointing its large rifle at the cores of its prey. Windbreaker was waiting for it to pull the trigger and blow his AC up but it didn't happen. The MT only stood there for a moment and toppled over. Holes could be seen in the back of the MT as it fell forward.

"Hey you! You didn't think I'd let you have all the fun did you?" a female voice said in a mischievous voice.

"…we don't have the time to fool around with these small fry right now. Lets go!"

"Hmph! I little thank you would be nice," Sara pouted as she crossed her arms. More ACs began to fly through the door that was behind them. Sara panicked, "Ahhhh! They just keep on coming!" The KNIGHTs began to approach Omen and Crimson Tear in clusters. In a swift motion, the MTs began exploding one by one. A blue AC sped in an toppled three units with its MOONLIGHT blade in one smooth motion. The blue AC withdrew and started flying circles in the air around the clusters of MTs. Bearing a small linear cannon on its shoulder, the blue AC started picking off the MTs one after another.

"Heh, why don't you guys just leave this to me." Vanguard grinned, "Its been a long time since I had so many targets to shoot so its only natural that I keep my skills limber."

Omen turned back to face the gates, "Fine, we'll meet back at the Ark." Windbreaker said in his cold and calm demeanor. The gates slide open and Omen boosted into the narrow hallway. Sara was surprised by his reaction, despite the amount of time she had spent with him. Crimson Tear quickly sped in the same direction.

"Wind! Aren't you worried about him? I mean, he's your friend right? Don't you ever feel remorse or regret!" Crimson Tear had finally caught up to Omen as they sped through the corridor.

"As a Raven we must continue in our mission without worrying about the consequences. We only worry about consequences after the mission is finished. Feeling regret will only make you weak," He said coldly.

"But…if you never regret…then how can you learn from your mistakes then?" she asked weakly.

"…" Windbreaker was silent, he didn't know how to respond to her question.

"Wind! The gates…their opening by themselves!" the Ravens were startled as the large doors slid open by themselves. "Wind, there's something big on the other side…really big!"

A large figure with razor sharp claws and multiple cannons that protruded from its demonic like torso stood, affixed in the back of the room. It was a dark orange color and seemed to reach the ceiling of the room. Four large legs supported its weight. From its view, two mechs could be seen entering the room. "So…those are our targets…" a young man with radiant spiked blonde hair and short bangs that hung to his eyes said. He wore transparent specs and had hazel eyes. "Limit here, I've acquired the targets. The red one is identified as Crimson Tears, must be Genobee's daughter that you were talking about. The other one is called Omen…I can't analyze that target though. Its giving off a great amount of energy but I can't detect a heat signature coming from it…"

"Ahhhh…so the Alus has come as well." A gruff voice suddenly spoke up.

"Alus?" Limit raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yes, an Alus is a perfect machine. Built with the lost technology, it achieves maximum efficiency. Use extreme caution, we don't have any data on what the Alus can do." The gruff voice replied.

"What should I do with them then, Enigma?" Limit asked.

"Kill them both. Place the Genobee girl at top priority. His presence has interfered for the last time,." Enigma said with malice in his voice.

"What the hell is that!" Sara yelled, shocked at the ominous mech that stood before them.

"Its…some sort of…large mechanized MT!" Omen stepped beside Crimson Tear. _This isn't the Archangel Pulverizer! Its just some oversized MT! This was just a decoy! Then that must mean that Enigma is elsewhere!_ The large MT fixed its various cannons on the two ACs. "Dammit, its operational. Sara, move now!" radiant green light started coming from the cannons in rapid successions. The two ACs boosted out of the way, barely avoiding the multiple shots from the large MT. Omen used both overboosters on its core and shoulders and bolted right up to the large MT. In one smooth motion, it brought up its linear rifle and fired at what seemed to be the head of the giant. White light started to swirl around the MTs body parts, the shot that was fired at the head seemed to diminish into the white light until it was nothing. Windbreaker was wide eyed, "A high-act force field!" The large MT raised its gigantic left claw and began to swing it towards the blue ACs direction. Its razor claw was stopped in midair by a large explosion. Crimson Tear boosted in and fired its sniper rifle at the large claw. Some of the rounds pierced the armor and made small holes.

"Wind! Are you crazy! Going up close to that thing!" Sara yelled in dismay. Windbreaker merely shrugged it off and boosted under the large MTs legs. The blue mech fired several rounds from its linear rifle, targeting the large MTs leg, torso and head unit. Shots that were targetted at the torso and head unit seemed to vaporize into thin air. The ones that were targetted at the legs made a large indent in its thick dark orange armor.

"Hmmm...its definitely using a high-act shield..." Windbreaker nodded with smirk on his face.

"A high-act shield?" Sara struggled to talk to Windbreaker while dodging energy beams fired by the large MT.

"High-act shields can be brought up quickly making for quick defense. But it requires a large amount of energy...and from the looks of it, the damn thing doesn't have enough energy to cover its arms and legs. So..." in a swift movement, Omen boosted beside one of the MTs large legs, sliding to a stop and releasing its blade at the same time, the blade tore the armor right off. The blue unit took a sharp left strafe to avoid an incoming energy shot. Valves and pipes dangling from the MTs now revealed leg hissed with steam pouring out. Crimson Tear boosted in front of the MTs damaged leg and quickly stepped back, firing its left arm grenade unit at the torn portion. The leg started to crackle with fire and the whole large entity collapsed, its legs crumbled underneath it. A loud booming could be heard as the torso fell to the floor.

"Damn you! This is it for you!" Limit said in his rugged cockpit. The MT raised its gigantic claw and smashed it downward, aiming towards the dark red AC beneath it.

"Uh...Ahhhhhh!" Sara closed her eyes before pressing the joystick to the right. The red AC skidded to the right, as the giant claw of the MT came smashing down to the ground. Debris flew everywhere, the shockwave of the crash sent Crimson Tear sliding across the tiled floor, making a trail of brilliant sparks. It slid to a halt as the AC made contact with the wall. The MT turned its torso slightly and angled its cannons at a point at which the cannons were all turned towards the red AC that lay on the ground. The display screen started to flash red. "Oh no...the leg units are jammed up." The enormous cannons started to charge, emitting radiant green lights. There was a sudden halt to the MTs movements as its monstrous head started to jerk forward. A blue light was suddenly protruding through the neck of the unit, moving along the neck, it continued to cut through the neck part until the head fell forward. It made a great impact with the ground, causing a large explosions. Sara looked at the area where the head was once placed, nothing was there, only rising wires and jumping sparks, "What? How?" Despite the MT being dismembered in various areas, the cannons on its back continued to charge.

"Your not getting out of here alive!" a blonde pilot yelled. The light discharged from the cannon was blinding to the eye. The MTs torso started to catch fire and exploded with immense flames, it toppled over sending an ear deafening thud. Sara closed her eyes to embrace her fate as the previously launched shots were enclosing on its target.

She whimpered a little and only thought of regret, I'm sorry, _Wind...I couldn't help you- _she was a bit shocked when a sudden impact shook the cockpit furiously. She looked up to see that she was in a different location than before, she was now behind the ruins of what seemed to be the gigantic MT. A crater could be seen on the otherside, indicating the shots that was targeted at her AC. She was surprised, she had been expecting a fiery death. "But...how? The boosters and leg units were all jammed up...I couldn't have moved." She checked her surroundings to see if she was just hallucinating and not dead. Crimson Tear stood up from its sitting sitting position. "Well, I'm glad the leg units are working properly now, but where's, Wind-!" A small buzzing sound caught her attention and she spun Crimson Tear around towards the odd sound. Her eyes widened and a gasp escaped her mouth. She covered her mouth with her hands from the horrific ruins that lay across from her. A dark blue metallic corpse lay there, black marks smeared across its armor. Some of the armor seemed to have been melted off, or torn off, revealing strange pure white spots underneath its blue armor. Large bulky sides were molten and torn as well. There was no mistaking whos AC it was.

"...Wind..."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Awakening of a Massacre

The dark room was silent, the only thing that stirred the silence was the wind whistling and blowing against the window glass of the room. A figure sat in the bed of the room, his head up against the wall and his back lay against the silver railing. His forehead had a bandage wrapped around it and his neck was covered in more bandages. His left cheek had a cross shaped scar imprinted in it and on his right cheek, a small bandade stuck on. He had brown hair that went down to his neck with a white denim shirt. His eyes were closed with an expressionless face. Beside the bed, a slender figure sat on a chair staring at her bedridden companion with her light blue eyes. Her hair hung to her shoulders and shun through the dark room. She was propped on the rear end of the chair with her arms resting on top of the chair back. Strands of her hair hung at the sides of her forehead. Her light blue eyes were filled with sorrow and she couldn't help but stare at the figure that slept in bed. Wind...this is all my fault...if I hadn't been so careless...

"What are you lamenting about?" a calm voice interrupted her thoughts. The girl snapped to attention at the voice that came from the man in the bed. "Whats done is done...we can forget about the past and continue on with our lives as Ravens...nothing more." The man slowly opened his dark eyes wearing the same calm expression.

"But Wind, don't you remember what happened! I almost got us both killed! You should've just left me there...then you wouldn't be like this!" She looked away at the door trying to supress the tears that were coming.

"I don't understand anything these days...why are people so emotional? Why do you care so much about what happens to me, Sara?" Windbreaker closed his eyes once again and crossed his arms, now both covered in bandages as well.

Sara opened her eyes in rage and jolted upright, the chair fell backwards and she turned around to face Windbreaker. Her chest heaved heavily and her breath could be heard. Tears were rolling down the side of her cheeks and a burning rage could be seen in her once peaceful blue eyes. Strands of her raven black hair hung in front of her face. "Why! Why! I'll tell you why I care so much!" her voice raised with every passing word she said, "Its because I care about you! Its because I have special feelings for you!" the fervor in her eyes wavered and she regained her peaceful posture, her breathing normal once again. "Its because I love you...but...you never seem to return my love...ever...why? Is there something wrong? Does it have something to do with you losing your first girlfriend?"

There was a moment of pause, silence filled the room. "Why do you lament on the past...what's so special about the past?"

Sara wiped the tears from her eyes and approached her bedridden companion. She lowered her head to his level and gazed into his dark soul piercing eyes, she gave him a light smile. He merely glanced from the side of his eye, "The past, is what makes us who we are today. It helps us learn from our mistakes and become better people. We should never forget the past, Wind."

Windbreaker shifted his gaze towards the transparent windows. "Thats bull, how can something so distant make us who we are presently. Who you are is determined by what you do in the present, not what you did! You can't possibly be worried about what happened in the past."

"Yeah, okay...whatever you say. I'm just glad that your still alive! Thanks for trying to cheer me up...even though it was supposed to be the other way around!" she wrapped her arms around Windbreaker's neck and rested the side of her face against his head.

"Hey! Wait! No stop! It wasn't meant as a cheer up! It was meant as a freakin lecture!" Sara's long shiny black hair rubbed against his cheek. Its smooth...just like...hers... He supressed the urge to stroke her hair. Moments later, the door to the room opened with a click revealing a tall, well built man. His hair was silver and clear even through the dark and spiked in many directions. Small whiskers and a slight beard could be seen on his face. He wore a long grey coat with his hand in his pocket.

Sara spun around at the sound to turn to the man that stood at the doorway. "So...Jack...I suppose you've been too busy to shave eh?" Windbreaker said, retaining his calm posture.

"Yes, well...you and Vanguard do always have the knack for bringing trouble." Jack-O said with his usual calm voice.

"Jack-O...what is it this time?" The young female propped in a kneeling position on the bed.

"Hm, well, I hate to end this little...touching recovery...but it seems that one of a group of what seems to be Revelation's ACs went inside Fenris Dome again. Just recently, Kisaragi dug up some strange mech from the underground ruins of Fenris Dome. The last thing that Kisaragi could report was their excavation squad being picked off. Crest and Mirage are also very concerned with this matter. Crest, Mirage and Kisaragi have mustered all of their AC pilots around the dome to prevent the intruders from escaping, but they reluctant to send in their forces after what happened to their squad. I think you know where this is going."

To everyone's surprise, Sara was the first one to respond with a quick jolt upwards, the same fervor as before was in her eyes, "What! You don't expect Wind to do anything do you! Can't you see the wounds he sustained! Why can't you ask another Raven to do this!"

"Unfortunately no. There are only a select few who know about the crisis to come, including you. Shade and Carom are too injured from the last mission and Vanguard is missing. We don't want to let the populace know about this and panic...it would do us no good."

"And Wind is an exception! You expect him to go fight in his current condition!" she stood in front of Jack-O looking up into his icy blue eyes.

"Since you put it that way..." Jack-O walked towards the window and stared out towards the dark night, his hands folded behind his back. "I guess the only choice now is to send you."

"What! Me! But I need to stay with Wind. I need to tend to his wounds."

"That's true but...isn't that why we have nurses in our hospital wings?" the administrator took one step and turned to Sara, his hair was illuminated by the moonlight.

"Yes, but nobody knows how to take care of Wind better tha-" the female was cut off by Windbreaker in his calm tone. His form still sitting in bed.

"Don't worry...I'll be fine." he said as he was rewrapping the bandage around his arm in a circular and smooth motion. "Besides, this mission is important. It would mean alot to the world if you accept it, and be wary of the unexpected." Sara stood with a blank stare at Windbreaker. "...and don't fail miserably..." he said in a mocking tone.

"Thanks, for worrying about me, Wind. But I'll be okay, and I'll come back! I promise!" she simply smiled at him with a slight blush strands of her straight black hair covered her cheeks.

I was afraid she would say that...just hope she doesn't come back. Windbreaker shrugged and closed his eyes. Jack-O tilted his head to the side looked at Sara with his blue icy gaze.

"So, does that mean you will accept the mission I will hand to you?"

Sara nodded, a note of confindence in her expression. She wore a face of determination, "I'm willing to accept. If its to protect those around me...whom I care for, then I'll do it!"

The administrator had a small grin on his face, "I've already readied a transport that will take you to Fenris Dome. You should get going now, time is of the essence."

She nodded in reply to Jack-O's statement. Sara swiveled around and turned to her fellow Raven in bed with a soft smile, "Hey, I'll be back really fast okay?"

"Hmph! Just be careful..." Windbreaker's voice had a hint of irritation in it.

"Thanks!" She waved her hand while running out the door. The door slammed behind her, leaving the two Ravens to contemplate on the events that would and will occur.

"She is...quite interesting. One minute she's filled with rage the next she's happy-go-lucky. I guess its a trait that women always have," Jack-O said chuckling to himself.

"I'll never understand that girl..." Windbreaker sighed.

"Oh? Does that mean you never understood yourself?" Jack-O raised a furrowed eyebrow at his statement.

"Whats that supposed to mean!" Windbreaker snapped.

The administrator merely chuckled, throughout all events that occured, he was probably the most cool headed. Jack-O had never shown any sign of regret or panic and only showed his easy going side. "I remember when you first came into the Ark...you were just like her."

"Huh, that was then...this is now! Why should I care if I was like her anyways?" 

"Hmmmm...well, when you said "be careful"...were you showing a sign of concern...or a sign of warning?"

"I am only trying to advise her that she should be careful of anything." Windbreaker crossed his arms, the bandages on his arms ruffled up a bit.

"Be careful of anything?" The silver haired Raven widened his eyes in disbelief followed by the same chuckle he always made, "...or do you mean...be careful of...you."

"..." The bedridden Raven ran his hands in between his hair.

Jack-O broke the silence, once again wearing the same hardened and dark look on his face. "Do you think she suspects anything?"

"I highly doubt that. Her constant mood swings really hint that she knows nothing. Although I could be wrong," Windbreaker smirked.

"Well then...before any more trouble arises, lets take care of one of our troubles before attending to the other. I think its about time that you start your mission...your real mission, do try to bring back Omen in one piece this time...it really does cost alot to get it repaired." Jack-O walked out moments after.

"So...it begins..." the Raven spoke to himself in a soft and raspy voice.

A bulky helicopter flew through the hair. Its two blades spinning through the air at great speeds. Under its four small clamps was a large slender looking dark red AC, holding a sniper rifle in its right hand and a silver rectangular shaped grenade launcher in its left. The helicopter flew to a stop, hovering above what seemed to be millions of other MTs, some white, some blue, others a bright red. Dropping down to the ground from its transport, the red AC landed on the dusty ground with a loud thud. The mech turned towards the gigantic white dome structure in front of it. A blue hover type MT approached the newcomer, known as Crimson Tear, making a slight humming as it traveled.

"Great timing, Raven. We could really use your help right about now." A male voice had a hint of irish in it. "Two ACs went into the dome just recently, they took out all of the excavation crew."

"What? Why would they do that?" Sara asked, staring at the dome.

"We think its something that we just discovered. Kisaragi just recently dug up some artifact from the ruins underneath Fenris Dome. We don't know what the hell it was, but we were pretty certain it was made from some lost technology. Due to what happened to our crew, we're afraid that sending in another squad will lead to just a repetition of what happened to the excavation crew, so we called you in. Entrance to the ruins is located in a manmade tunnel right in front of the gates...its the only one so you won't miss it. What's more, they've also jammed up our communications so you won't be able to contact anyone outside of the dome."

"I'll still complete this mission, one way or another. I have to..." Crimson Tear raced inside the opening gates that led to the inside of the gigantic dome. The doors rumbled, closing behind the AC. A ruined city, lay inside the dome. The buildings had been torn apart and charred with black smears. A large tunnel curving downwards was stationed in front of the red AC. "A tunnel...guess that's it." She swallowed hard before moving her AC into the tunnel. To her surprise, the corridor of the tunnels had been lit with bright incandescent lights, making traveling in the tunnel much easier. The tunnel seemed to curve and snake in all directions, until a black door with a small blue insignia inscribed on it, could be seen. The insignia seemed to glow with an erie blue light. "This door looks special..." the doors immediately opened as Crimson Tear slid to a halt in front of it, glowing even more brightly than before. "It opened? Thats strange..." Inside, was a large room, filled with shining blue tiles filled with wreckages of what appeared to be MTs and ACs and other sorts of equipment. A gouge could be seen in the center of the whole room containing glistening glass. The gouge was huge and was perfectly rounded. The ceiling of the room was covered with glass, which seemed to have been shattered by a large object. _Why does this room...seem so...familiar?_ A feeling overcame Sara, a feeling of fear and anxiety. It was only awhile later before Sara noticed a humanoid figure that stood on the other side of the gouged room, its sleek and curved outline could be made out. "What's an AC doing in a place like this?" she pondered, a male voice interrupted which seemed to come from the white AC standing on the otherside of the room.

"Hmmmm, I wasn't quite expecting someone to come in after what we just did to the excavation crew," it was a calm icy voice that spoke.

"Your the one that did this!" Sara asked, surprised that anyone was still here.

"Well...no, your a little late though. Enigma already obtained the Archangel Pulverizer. He showed a fraction of his power to the fools who continued to resist him." the male laughed meniacally. A malicious tone could be heard in his icy cold voice. "Of course...since your already here...I, Blaze, cannot allow you to leave here alive." A red light flickered from behind the AC, as it sped forward with its shield like arms formed in a cross position. Crimson Tear fired a grenade shell and moved to the left, the explosive shell made contact with the edge of the gouge as the white AC boosted up from the bottom of the gouge and jumped out lashing with its purple blades. The dark red AC, evaded with a curving overboost maneuver that seemed to throw Blaze off. The mech curved at an angle and a phenomenal speed while aiming its sniper rifle at its opponent. Blaze pulled his AC back in reverse and let the shots hit the tiled ground. Another volley of shots were made, this time hitting its target. Covering its core with its arms, the AC fell backwards while delivering a missile salvos that came from its NYMPHE back unit and its relation extension missiles. Sara maneuvered past the missiles by pulling up in reverse and curving to the right, followed by an overboost forward, leading the missiles astray and hitting the walls. "Haha! I have you now!" the white AC unleashed one of its blades and slashed in the traditional style, a slash coming from the bottom right to the top left diagonally. Sara was fast to react and boosted to the left at the last moment, the blade hit the small grenade launcher that was propped on the back of Crimson Tear. The unit was immediately dropped and exploded as it fell to the ground. Landing more shots from its sniper rifle as it boosted backwards from its previous experience, Crimson Tear managed to pierce the armor on both arms of its opposer. The arm units on the white AC exploded, sending Blaze's AC flying backwards and crashing into the wall. Through the foggy smoke was the AC, lying on the floor and staggering in its movements. "You're...too late...it is already coming...it will destroy you...one way or another...hahahaha!" Blaze cackles as the AC continuously explodes in various areas, until the whole core collapses and is consumed in fire and smoke. The battle was over, the missions had been complete, but the words that Blaze left behind made Sara uneased.

_What did he mean...?_

"Raven...please respond..." the same male irish voice that had been in the blue hover MT at the surface said.

"I...just destroyed the AC..." she said plainly.

"The AC must have been jamming our communications inside the dome, all radar functions have been restored," he said, with a tint of relief in his voice.

"Yeah..." Sara paid no attentions to anything, all that was left in her mind were the words that Blaze said before his AC blew up.

"Nice work Raven, mission complete...get back up here and-...wait! Unidentified unit has been detected approaching us..." Sara's attention was quickly drawn to his words.

"Unidentified? What is it?" she asked.

"Its a white AC...no...this...its not an AC...what is that thing?" silence replaced all, only the humming of the red ACs engines could be heard from the inside of the cockpit. No sooner was the silence broken, gunfire and explosions could be heard. The sound of energy blades swinging and people yelling out either death cries or cries of pain could be heard. Various MT pilots yelled simoultaneously, as if hell itself had broken loose. Sara could only widen her eyes in fear and disbelief at the cries for help.

"W...we need reinforcements now! T-this thing...its not human!" Several machine guns firing rapid rounds muffled out the voice.

Another male voice interrupted, "God! We've lost half of our forces already...what is that thing! Somebody help us!" Large, ear deafening explosions could be heard.

The last sentence that could be made out was from a pilot. The fear was prominent in his voice, "Its...Horizon...the Angel of Hell..." It was all of a sudden that silence, once again, replaced everything. Nothing could be heard, no gunfire, no explosions, no pilots yelling out.

"Hey! I-is anyone there! Can anybody hear me!" there was no reply. A sudden fear struck Sara, fear for what awaited her at the surface. _What the hell happened!_

"WARNING! UNIDENTIFIED UNIT APPROACHING AREA AT HIGH SPEED! SIX HUNDRED KILOMETERS TO THE WEST!" The feminine voice of the computer blurted out all of a sudden.

"What!" Filled with fear, she turned Crimson Tear around to face the doorway across the room, the one she had come through from.

"WARNING! UNIT IS WITHIN TWO HUNDRED KILOMETERS TO THE WEST! HIGH ENERGY RESPONSE DETECTED!"

It had been too late to contemplate whether to run or not. The two doors that was affixed in the hallway was suddenly flung into the air. Metal clanking against one another could be heard as the two, now twisted and broken doors, made contact with the ground. Smoke in the hallway masked everything, only two brilliant blue lights glowed in the smoke, as if evil itself was glaring out. As the smoke cleared up, a tall curved humanoid figured could be seen. Its head resembled that of a demon. Its shoulders were curved in a round spherical shape, attached to its shoulders were two wing like extensions. Jagged edges and a demonic contours was what described the body and legs. The figure stood there, and took a loud clunking step forward, its motions were humane and the giant itself seemed to breathe. Its pure white armor was illuminated by glowing blue outlines. The newcomer stood there, affixed in its position and seemed to glare at Crimson Tear, with a linear rifle in its right hand and a rectangular weapon in its left. On its back were two tall grey rectangular pillars. To Sara, the giant seemed magnificent and evil at the same time. She could only stare wide eyed and shocked at the mech that stood before her. It was only then that the feminine voice of the computer started talking once more.

"UNIT IDENTIFIED AS OMEN! HIGH ENERGY RESPONSE DETECTED, UNABLE TO IDENTIFY SOURCE. PART ASSEMBLY DOES NOT CORRESPOND WITH REGISTERED PARTS, UNABLE TO ANALYZE TARGET!"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Power of the Alus

Two ominous figures stood facing each other in the wrecked, blue tiled room with a deep gouge in the center. The only thing that bore light on the room was a cracked glass roof at the top. One of the figures was a white giant with brilliant blue outlining. Its jagged edges and malicious head made it look demonic. Small teal colored blades protruded from its elbow that reached up to its shoulders. Large grey pillars lay on its back. On the opposite side of the gouge, stood a dark red mech. Holding a long barreled gun and a rectangular shaped silver weapon on its left hand, it stood poised with its knees slightly bent, ready to fend off the demonic mech that stood before it. Inside the cockpit, a raven-black haired girl wearing a silver jump suit sat. Her light blue eyes were wide with fright and strands of her hair fell in front of her face. The demonic figure stared down its target with surging blue eyes, breathing in its movements.

"You..." the voice that came through on the girl's comm-link was familiar. She noted that the voice was more malicious, icy and more emotionless than she had remembered but it was in fact recognizable.

"Wind!" the female known as Sara said. "What the heck are you doing here! Your supposed to be back at the hospital! And why are you piloting that...thing!"

"...looking for you..." the different tone in his voice left Sara unease. _Wait...this is...weird...his voice...and that mech, its the one in my dreams..._ Shaking the feeling off, Sara continued in her conversation.

"Okay...well that's awfully sweet of you to worry about me. But we have to get out of here fast! There's something at the surface, its already destroyed all the MTs that were here. We've got to get out of here fast!" she said. Her thoughts were on turning her red Crimson Tear around and boosting out fast but an uncontrollable impulse urged her not to turn her back on her friend and keep a guard up.

"No..." Windbreaker's soul piercing, emotionless voice hinted a slight satisfaction, "We shall stay here...and fight!" The white monster raised its right arm, pointing its linear rifle at the red AC. A brilliant yellow light was emitted from the rifle, enclosing on Crimson Tear. The slender AC reversed its boosters, avoiding the shot that made a smear of black char on the ground where it once stood. Crimson Tear slid to a halt, recovering it defending poise once again.

"Wind! What the hell do you think your doing! This isn't funny!" she yelled, but deep down inside, she already knew the answer to her question. The white demon lowered the rifle and stood in a triumphant stance, still staring its prey down with its light blue glare.

"What else? Eliminating the threats..." he said in a low malicious tone.

"Threat! What the hell are you talking about!" she snapped.

"I have been monitoring your progress...observing how your skills improve, and it seems that...your skills are improving dramatically. Eventually, you'll become too powerful and start threatening the lives of the ones you proclaimed to defend," The white mech looked down at its left rectangular rifle, "You see...your very existence cancels out mine. We are opposites, and eventually, we will have to destroy each other. Therefore..." Snapping to attention, the demonic mech jolted to an offensive position, with its knees bent and its back boosters surging with blue energy. "I have decided to take you out first! Now, feel the wrath of the Alus Omen!" the giant sped forward with both its rifles raised at an incredible speed. Crimson Tear fired its explosive grenade shell from its left arm unit and overboosted to the right in self defense. Alus Omen tilted to the right a bit, making the explosive shell skin right past its front end torso. It started jumping up high and fired rapid machine gun rounds from its left unit and large bursting shots from it linear rifle. Crimson Tear side stepped to the left to avoid its first volley of rounds and then boosted into the air to the right to avoid the linear shots. This was all followed up by a couple shots from the sniper rifle, aimed towards the white AC. Sparks flew from the unscathed armor of the mech as the rounds merely bounced off.

"That thing...it's impervious to solid shells!" Sara realized in shock as each bullet that was sent into the demon's armor was only making a good spark show. Alus Omen slightly boosted to the left in the air and flew straight at the red AC, dual wielding its weapons at the same time. A couple shots scraped the crimson AC before it boosted onto the ground and turned around, bringing its sniper rifle up.

_This isn't Wind's tactics! This is just mindless rushing! Is this really him?_ Sara took a quick glance at her opponent before firing. _The only thing I can do is disarm that...thing!_

Immediately, Alus Omen's back units unmounted and swung onto the mech's shoulders. The vertical crevices that ran horizontally across the middle of the two grey pillars started to open, revealing crackling sparks inside. Unphased by this, Crimson Tear aimed its rifle at the white giant's weapons and fired two rounds in succession. Both shots bounced off of the white armor, as the white mech covered its core with its arms. At this moment, Alus Omen was hovering above the slender red AC. It started firing both its rifles along with large yellow bursts of light that were emitted from its now activated back units. Crimson Tear overboosted straight forward, right under its oppressor, letting the shots make a huge crater on the floor. The red mech slid on the floor while turning around to face its opponent. _I-it can dual wield and use both back cannons at the same time!_ The shining white figure fell to the ground on its feet with a hard thud, crushing the tile that lay beneath its feet. It took one step to turn around to its prey.

"Is that the best you've got? To be honest...I'm quite disappointed. How do you expect to avenge your father's death with such inferior tactics?" the icy cold voice said.

"Avenge my father! What does that me-" A cold realization suddenly struck her, making her face go even more pale than its normal white texture. Memories of the MT pilots screaming the name of a mass killer and the news report of a white mech that killed her parents flooded her mind, "...you killed my father...your Horizon..."

"Good, see? Your not as dumb as I thought you were. Although it did take you sometime to figure it out," Windbreaker said with a smirk on his face. A slight tint of red could be seen in his irises. His hair was still in the same style, only a pitch black color instead of its usual dark brown. He still wore the bandages that he had received from the previous battle wounds.

"...so tell me...why did you kill my father then?" her voice was no longer pleasantly soft, but a small raspy whisper. Sara's mouth was dry and she was shaken with fear, fear of what she had discovered and what she had to do.

"Crest hired me to kill him. He was destroying Bayload City and was out of control. Eventually, he would have destroyed everything if I hadn't stepped in."

"So then, what about my mother! Was she out of control too!" she snapped with fury and rage.

"...that was an...accident... I simply took her out because she was in my way. It was nothing personal, just doing my job as a Raven."

"So all you do is just mindlessly obey corporation orders and kill without remorse! What's with you!"

He grunted, "You may not know this, but other people in the world feel differently about their jobs...namely me!" The mech reeled around, charging its large cannons with crackling yellow energy. Two large blinding blasts of light that was emitted from the two cannons, enclosed on Crimson Tear. Strafe-boosting to the left in time, the blasts hit the tiled wall behind it. A large crater could be seen in the wall, small crushed tile pieces fell to the floor. No sign of the red AC could be seen as the white giant scanned the area. "...hmmmm...how interesting..." Its arms jolted upwards, pointing both rifles at the object above it and let off volleys of machine gun and linear rounds. In response, Crimson Tear side boosted slightly to the left to avoid the shots and landed some shells on Alus Omen's back units. Various holes were created in the two grey pillars as the shots pierced them, making sizzling electricity. The two back units were dropped and fell to the ground with a big thud. Immediately, the wing shaped extensions on its shoulders started to emit a faint eerie blue glow, the same glow that was being emitted in its outlines and eyes.

Sara decided to speak, her chest heaved and she was tired. Drops of sweat rolled down her forehead and strands of her already split end hair flowed down the front of her face. "Wind...there's more to being a Raven than...killing..." she spoke in a soft voice.

"Perhaps for you...but for me...there is no choice!" Charging forwards with high velocity, the white mech fired its rifles with immense rage. Crimson Tear only avoided some shots by boosting up in the air, the others pierced into the leg armor of the AC. Alus Omen aimed upwards and continued its barrage of dual wielding weapons. With ease Crimson Tear pulled in reverse in the air and dodged the shots, returning some sniper rounds with a grenade shell. The white demon staggered for a moment as the linear rifle was knocked out of its hands and its left machine gun had been blown away by the grenade shell.

"Wind, everybody has a choice. You just have to approach it at the right way."

The giant stood there, affixed in its current position and seemingly unarmed. The wing shaped extensions on its shoulders started to spread open and produced large blue energy spikes in the form of wings. Long blades that were protruding from its elbows that reached its shoulders, switched forward with surging blue energy. "...everyone...but me!" In a smooth motion, it swung its right arm upwards, letting the blade carve the air. Nothing could be seen, but an uncontrollable impulse to move out of the way made Sara believe something else. Crimson Tear slid to the right with its twin boosters roaring behind it. Looking back, something surprised Sara. The wall in which it had stood in front of was now cut up, the tile sliced into tiny bits. "So...you can see my movement...that just makes you even more dangerous!" The red AC quickly overboosted in a curved left direction, turning around and halting its boosters, the AC slid with its back facing the wall and firing its arm grenade in Alus Omen's direction. A realization hit her that the grenade shell was targeted at a thin air. The white mech could be seen nowhere.

_Where did he go!_ A sudden lurching of the cockpit drew her attention. Crimson Tear sent sliding forward on the tiled ground, friction of its metal armor and the floor made brilliant sparks. A large diagonal slash could be seen, indented in the rear end of the red AC's core. There, the white demonic mech could be seen, standing triumphant, with its surging blue blade extended on its arm. Despite the hits it had taken, its armor still shone brilliantly.

"How disappointing...I was expecting a little more..." Windbreaker sighed. "I really would rather prefer to no kill you, but I have my objectives."

"From who!" Sara asked profusely as Crimson Tear staggered up.

"That's none of your business. What should matter right now is the value of your own life!" Alus Omen suddenly became a white blur. It was only seconds later that Sara realized the white mech was right in front of her. A series of furious slashes were made by the ominous giant. Crimson Tear moved out of the way in time, avoiding a direct slash to its already damaged core. Unfortunately, the same could not have been said for its left arm. The ghostly blue blade sliced through its arm joint like a knife through butter. Impact from the caused the slender red AC to fly side ways. Attempting to stop, the AC slid on the floor, its feet colliding with the tiled floor. This movement was followed by a swift motion in which Crimson Tear brought its sniper rifle around to fire at Alus Omen, only to have a giant white hand grapple onto its right arm. "Useless..." Windbreaker muttered in a malicious voice. Alus Omen had appeared in front of Crimson Tear held the sniper rifle in place with its left arm, "...you can't win...my speed is much greater than yours..." With its right arm, the demonic mech reached out and grappled onto the right side of the core of its prey. The arm of the red AC began to shake and sizzle, until it was torn off. Immediately after, the red AC was pushed backwards with tremendous force, causing it to slam into the wall.

"Guh...I can't...believe...Wind would do such a...thing..." she gasped for air, her chest heaved. Blood trickled down the side of her head and her arm. A demon head that glared down with luminous blue eyes appeared above the fallen AC, now in ruins and smeared with char. Crimson Tear struggled to get up but its legs staggered in response. Alus Omen brought up its right arm to a stabbing poise, its ghostly blade still surging with blue energy. _This is...just like...my dream..._

"And now..."The mech pulled its arm back slightly, ready to plunge its blade into its fallen prey."...for your last prayers..." Sara closed her eyes, hoping that it was only a nightmare, which she would wake up sooner or later. But deep down inside, she knew this was real, and could not bear the fact that she was going to be killed by her friend, the one she cared for the most. I_t's...not his fault after all...he's just being what any Raven should be..._ There was a sudden ear deafening explosion. Sara opened her eyes in shock, she was expecting a hellish death with flames but the only thing that met her expectations was a large explosion sound. She looked up to the display screen, barely able to move her head. _What? Am I dead already?_ Her answer was immediately given as the once tall demonic figure that stood above her was now kneeling downwards; its right hand was placed around its left side as if tending to injuries. Brilliant light sizzled from its right hip.

"Guh...ergh..." Windbreaker grunted. "No...not now. Not when I was...so close..."

"Wind, your time limit is up! The system cannot take much more strain and neither can your body. We failed to repair the Logic System in time. Consider the mission a failure."

"But...Jack...the girl..."

"We have more pressing matters at hand right now, Wind! Return immediately."

"Wind, are you alright!" the abrupt feminine voice with a hinted soft kindness in it interrupted.

"Heh...worry about yourself..." Alus Omen struggled to its feet, stepping up with its left leg. A sudden searing red energy that surged in its left leg made the mech stagger and drop back on its knee. "It's your...lucky day..." The ominous mech re-illuminated the room with its ghostly blue wings and flew high, through the glass covered ceiling, causing more glass to shatter and drop to the floor in its wake. The only thing that was left was the wrecked AC, and its pilot already unconscious from the severe loss of her blood.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: A Past Mistake

A girl slowly rose into a sitting position on the bed she rested on, her raven-black hair was in small strands and some seemed to stick to her face. A small bandage could be seen on her cheek. "W-where am I?" she asked in a soft voice, while rubbing her forehead.

"You're in the garage in Bayload City, how are you feeling." A male voice suddenly blurted out. Sara turned towards the point where the voice came from, her black hair slid over her chest. The voice came from a man in a leather jacket sitting on a chair with black hair that extended to his neck.

"Vanguard?"

"Hey, it seems I'm always the one that finds you," he raised his hand while holding an apple in his other hand. "So...what happened to you?" he asked, taking a large bite out of the red apple.

"Oh, I don't remember...wait...I remember...Wind attacked me!"

Vanguard widened his eyes, most probably in shock, "And...you're still alive!"

"Yes...but barely..." The girl rubbed her eyes and groaned a bit.

"Wow...well...now I'm certain that Windbreaker really has taken a liking to you." Sara stopped rubbing her eyes and scrunched up her face in confusion.

"You call, someone that just tried to kill me has taken a liking to me?"

"No, no, you misunderstand. No one has ever survived a battle with Windbreaker when he pilots his AC in its prime form. It usually takes him a mere five seconds to tear a normal AC to pieces. You survived...not only that, he tried to warn you about being near him."

"What do you mean? I don't understand," Sara was confused, it seemed as though Windbreaker was more complicated than she had first thought.

"Windbreaker tries to push you away, because he knows you'll get yourself killed because of him. He knows he's too dangerous to be around and probably doesn't want to involve you in any danger."

"Then why doesn't he tell me! Why does he close himself off from me and give me some cold attitude! I want to get to know him!" she yelled, not knowing that tears were trickling down her cheeks.

"Because he knows you would just follow him and you have to understand...he is very prideful. So his only recourse is to show you a cold attitude, to repel you," The top ranker took another large bit out of his apple that had a big gouge. "And...there is another thing..."

The young female's face softened, the trail of tears still prominent on her face, "What thing? Is something wrong?"

"I explained to you about how we are NBPs and that we were born without any problems right?" Sara nodded, " Well...you've probably heard in the past that artificially made Pluses lost their sanity and destroyed themselves in the past."

"What does this have to do with Wind?"

"Wind is an exception...I suspect one of his parents was an artificial Plus."

"Why?"

"Because...Windbreaker inherited some sort of...gene or ability of some sort. In some cases...its good, but in most cases...its bad." Vanguard looked down at the apple he held, now a big white gouge engraved in its meat. "The gene...allows for one to access immense strength, speed, reaction etc...everything is augmented. But at the same time, it eats away at the heart and mind, causing the user to lose control and possibly attack anything...even allies alike, if used for too long...the user could die. Of course...a certain substance and the correct circuitry is needed to activate this certain gene." Sara stared in disbelief at the Raven, her eyes wide in shock.

The man in the shadows staggered into the dark corridor with his left hand clutching his right side. Blood ran down the sides of his face and his right arm. His short black hair that scattered in all directions was drenched with sweat and blood. The white shirt that he wore inside his black jacket was stained with red blood as well. A tint of red could be seen in the man's dark eyes. With his right hand, he grabbed the doorway for support. "Jack!" the man yelled to the silver haired figure that stood in the middle of the dark corridor with his back facing the man. Jack-O turned around to face the man.

"Wind, is there anything I can do for you?" he raised an eyebrow with his arms folded behind his back in a calm demeanor.

"You know, exactly what I need!" Windbreaker grunted. At that, Jack-O tossed a small cylindrical container at Windbreaker. A blue lid kept the container sealed. With his right hand, Windbreaker caught the container, pushed the lid off with his thumb and popped an oval shaped pill into his mouth. Jack-O walked towards Windbreaker.

"You know, Wind...you should really watch yourself. If you use the Logic System too much...you could be in serious trouble." Windbreaker walked towards a table in the opposite wall. On the table, was a first aid kit that happened to be lying there. He lifted the the lid of the kit and took out a long piece of white fabric. Windbreaker started unwraveling the fabric that was wrapped around his right arm and started replacing it with the new piece of cloth. "...tell me...do you like that girl?"

"Hm?" The young Raven froze in place. "Of course not...why would you say that?"

"Heh...you didn't finish her." The silver haired administator smirked, placing his hands in his brown trench coat pockets.

"I had technical problems as you can see..." Windbreaker continued to wrap the cloth around his arm.

"You could've finished her in five seconds, I've seen you do it. The battle lasted for more than five minutes..." Jack-O walked towards the table that Windbreaker stood in front of. "It seems we made a mistake in killing the girl's parents." Windbreaker turned around to face Jack-O with a look of disbelief.

"What do you mean...a "mistake"!" he flexed his right hand, a cracking sound could be heard coming from his right wrist.

"Remember when we sent you to kill Genobee because we thought he destroyed Bayload City and was cooperating with Revelation?" Jack-O lifted a small pile of sheets with writing on them.

"So? What about it?" The young Raven seemed agitated.

"Well...it seems we were wrong in doing so. Genobee was not trying to destroy the city, he was trying to protect it. After Crest did the Plus experiment on him, his mind was left in a half deranged state. But the other half was still in control. He was protecting the city."

"...and what source did this suddenly come from?" Windbreaker raised a furrowed eyebrow.

"Various profiles and unknown sources have said the same thing. I found these in the archives..." The Ark administrator threw the pile of paper on to the table. "They include articles and information of who actually did wreak havoc in Bayload City."

"..."

"It was a man called Reaper. He released those MTs and also destroyed Bayload City. He was also a Raven before he started the organization called Revelation. His Raven name was Enigma."

"So...why would he use his Raven name all of a sudden?"

"I think it was just intended to strike terror into the human heart."

"How come I've never heard he was in the Ark?"

"Because he was sent into exile just before you joined the Ark. He simply knew too much. Unfortunately, that was the worst choice the Ark could have made. What I don't understand is what Genobee was protecting that could be worth the risk of losing his own life..." Jack-O narrowed his piercing blue eyes and scratched his head.

"Sara..." Windbreaker muttered, the words caught Jack-O's attention. The administrator raised and eyebrow.

"What about her?"

"Genobee was protecting his daughter. If he still retained part of his sanity, then he must have seen that Sara was in danger or something," A horrid thought seemed to run through Windbreaker's mind, one he was not too proud of, _So...I killed her father when he was just protecting her..._

"I see...well...why don't you be careful from now on? Try and be nice to her. Be yourself for once. We need her on our side, the genes that she most likely inherited will be the key in our up-coming battle."

Windbreaker was unentheusastic about what Jack-O said, in fact, he was totally at dismay, "Hold on! Your asking me to be nice to someone I just tried to kill? That's going to be a bit hard for me seeing as how they might not take it too lightly," Jack-O rested his arm on Windbreaker's shoulder, a gesture for calming his nerves.

"Just do your best," In only moments later, the administrator seemed to stop in his tracks at the doorway. The long brown trench coat waved behind him. His figure diminished into the shadows. All that was left was the lone Raven, standing beside the table in the dark corridor. His chest heaved up and down rapidly, and he was trying to supress a grin. Windbreaker finally laughed like a mad man, throwing his head back. Laughing at the irony of his current situation.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Never at Peace

The lone Raven dragged his bags behind him in a tired manner. He stopped in front of a rectangular green door in the hallway. He let off a sigh of pain and scratched his medium length black hair before knocking on the door. His eyes were slightly tinted with red and he hung his black jacket over his left shoulder. The green door slowly opened, revealing a man with short black hair. He wore barely transparent shades and and had a calm and quiet demeanor. "Wind, so glad you could come. I suppose you didn't get the notice that you were supposed to bring some food?"

Windbreaker stepped inside the room, feeling very agitated, he dropped his bag on the floor and didn't seem to care that it made a loud thud. The inside of the room was surprisingly large enough to probably house thirty people, despite the fact that it was in a hotel building. "I didn't have any to spare! Shade, you know very well as much as the next person that I'm pretty much broke," The irritated Raven looked at the navy blue watch on his wrist, _Damn...six-thirty...and this party ends at twelve..._

"Heh, I know you want to go, but Jack-O was the one who invited us...or ordered us. So what can you do?" Shade smirked, he was mostly entertained by the agitation Windbreaker was showing.

"If he wasn't administrator I would've given him a beating...I swear he does this just to annoy me!" Windbreaker continued to stare at his watch, probably hoping that time might somehow speed up if he watched it. "Where is that guy anyways!"

"Don't know, but maybe you should relax. Jack-O did go to all the trouble of planning this party." A young short-blonde man sat in front of the couch that was situated in the center of the room. The couch was affixed in front of a large television with an assortment of other electronic equipment in the lower compartments of the cabinet that the television sat on.

"Planning? Trouble? I think maybe you mean sitting behind his large desk and thinking over some irrelevant things." Windbreaker slouched a bit, "...and why did it have to be Carom's place?"

"Because his place is MUCH bigger than any of ours." Shade patted Windbreaker on the back, despite his enjoyment of the young Raven's agitation.

"By the way, the ladies should be here any second now, " A man who seemed to be in his mid thirties stepped in, wearing a brown leather jacket and neck length hair. The man shut the door behind him. "Say, Wind, you look a bit different...new haircut?"

The thoughts that irritated him at the moment vanished at the question. He had forgotten about the certain side effects the Logic System induced when he used it. It had been a week since his planned attack on his fellow Raven, Sara. Not only did his eyes turn a slight red, his hair had turned into a pitch black rather than it's usual dark brown, a permanent effect. Aside from the changes of the Logic System, he had let his hair grow. Strands of hair that formed his sideburns hung to the top of his neck now, "Errr...ahhhhh...well...you see...I-"

Carom cut Windbreaker off, jumping from in front of the couch and landing beside Shade. It was one of the moments where Carom would input this randomized comment into the conversation that would have no sort of relation to the topic. "Say guys! Wouldn't it be great if ACs were equipped with nuclear weapons, had synthetic armor and neural sensors so we can react faster and see what our ACs can see!" His expression was that of a mere five year old that just recieved his first birthday gift. Everyone in the room only stared at Carom, with quizzical looks. Shade broke the silence with a cough muffling the word "freak".

"What!" The odd pilot had a slight irritation in his simple question.

"Hey, guys! Merry Christmas!" A soft seductive female voice called out. The whole lot's attention was directed at the rectangular green door that suddenly opened behind them, revealing a tall slender figure with brilliant blonde hair that hung down to her waist in a straight style. With the her light blue eyes, she looked towards Windbreaker who had only his head turned around. "Well, haven't seen you around in awhile, Wind. Been travelling lately?" The women held a white plastic bag in her hand stuffed with unkown contents.

"You could say that..." Windbreaker merely smirked. "I didn't hear that you were being invited, Karen."

"I invite myself. I'm the operater, in case you've forgotten in your absence," Karen said sternly, throwing her long blonde hair behind her.

_Apparently, her ego has grown since I left...alot..._ Windbreaker kept the thought to himself, knowing full well that blurting it out loud would create a disaster, at least for him.

"Oh yeah! I brought some food-" The young operater was cut off when a small body, too fast for the naked eye, lunged out.

"Windy!" It was at that moment that the elite Raven felt his inards being crushed by a large amount of pressure closing around his waist.

"I...see! That's not the only thing...you brought!" The small arms wrapped around his waist were decievingly strong, very strong. Windbreaker looked down to see a petite body, with dirty blonde hair. "Get off of me, Principle!" Gasping for air, or life in this case, Windbreaker struggled to get the dirty blonde beauty that clung to him off. Eventually, black haired Raven emerged victorious after a little while of amusing everyone.

"Merry Christmas everyone!" The door swung open, banging against the side of the wall. A tall feminine figure walked into the room, her brown hair tied back in a long ponytail fashion was matched with her hazel eyes. She wore casual clothes, painted in purple, her favorite color. "Heh, we're having a really green Christmas this year aren't we? That's pretty rare..." Vanguard turned around immediately, staring out the window. A look of concern spread across his hardened face. It was fine outside, greenery spread all throughout the ground. But that was the problem, it was December, when snow should have been falling.

_That's wierd...no! It couldn't be!_

"What's with the wierd look?" The top-ranker snapped to attention, realizing that they had noticed his unusually serious face, a face he hardly ever revealed.

"Oh...huh...nothing...I'm sorry, but if you will excuse me, I must attend to something," With a quick swivel he grabbed his coat and flung it around him, shutting the door behind, all in one smooth motion.

"Wonder what that was about?" Carom shrugged with a mocking smirk on his face. "So anyways...alcohal, beer...food...anyone?" He raised two mugs and gestured towards the banquet that was laid out on the table. Immediately, the circle dispersed, if it ever was a circle. Windbreaker took one step before hearing a smooth female voice call him, he swiveled around staring at the woman with a brown pony-tail hair-style.

"What is it Grace?" he asked plainly without much entheusiasm, tilting his head slightly in the direction of Grace. For him, this was probably all torture. All Windbreaker ever wanted was peace and quiet but he could never find that anywhere. Everywhere he went, people would recognize him as the famous second ranker. It was different, however, when he was a newcomer into the Raven fold. Back then, he craved attention and took every opportunity that was presented to him. How ironic it was that he would think in opposition to his old self. The old him changed, ever since the chaos that ensued at Bayload City. Releasing his thoughts about his past, Windbreaker snapped back to reality.

"I believe someone wants to talk to you," Windbreaker gave a quizzicled look. Usually, these surprises weren't at all...surprising to him. But Grace's mischeivious smile hinted that it was something he would never expect. The female Raven stepped aside, revealing a girl who stood shyly by the doorway. Her hands where clasped behind her back and she wore a white blouse that revealed a slight cleavage with a black skirt that flowed all the way down to her feet. The black hair that fell to her shoulder blades would illuminate her light blue eyes and silky pale skin. Windbreaker looked her from head to toe with his hands crossed in front of him. A thought slipped into his mind that surprised even himself.

_She looks...amazing..._He could see a light red blush that appeared on her face when he sized her up. This, however, did not sway him from replying in his usual cold manner, "Okay...what the hell is Sara doing here?" The blush seemed to disappear on the girl's face.

_He was looking at me wierdly...does he hate the dress...wait! Of course he hates it! He recently tried to kill me! He probably hates everything about me!_ Sara felt like slapping herself for the thought but instead found it better if she did what she would normally do, squawble with Windbreaker for his remark. "What's that supposed to mean! I'm part of this too you know!" she snapped at him.

"Say what you will...see if I care..." With that, he spun around and walked towards a door on the otherside of the room, the door that led to the master bedroom. It was currently the only quiet place in the whole apartment. Sara wanted to run after him, but hesitated in her thoughts.

_Why did I say that?_ A slight sharp pain in her ribs interfered with her thoughts. It was Grace that gave her an elbow in the ribs.

"That's not what you wanted to say." Grace whispered, knowing very well that Sara didn't want anyone else to hear.

"I know but...I have no idea what to say! I've never felt this way about anyone before!" She replied in a hushed voice.

"Just act normally, and talk to him. It's really easy..." Grace glanced around, rethinking her words, "Okay...maybe in your case, its not as easy because you're practically trying to talk to a rock...but really. You just have to act normally."

"R...really? Are you sure?" she was unsure whether to take the advice or not.

Grace nodded, "Yeah, just talk like you would normally only try adding more...stuff about how you feel! Go on now!" The older Raven gave her a small friendly shove in the direction of the door. Sara glances back and forth from the door to Grace, a confused look on her face. Making her final decision after much hesitation she walks back to Grace's position.

"I'll go...but when I'm ready...I don't think right now is the time." In mere minutes, the room was soon consumed in utter chaos. The room walls were stained and bottles lay on the floor. Luckily though, it was a large room so there was plenty of space to walk in. Abrupt disturbing shouts seemed to interrupt Sara's thoughts each time she thought about going into the room to converse with Windbreaker.

"Stop going into my closet!"

"Windy! Where are you Windy?"

"Errr...Principle...I don't think he's in the fridge..."

"What the hell are you talking about! I AM the great Hustler One!"

"Whoa...its all green..."

"...and he still owes me that seventy grand from last year!"

"Carom what the hell are you doing! Stop breaking the tables!"

"Why do you guys keep on rummaging through my stuff!"

Sara couldn't stand the infernal noise any more. She stomped to the door that Windbreaker went through. _Now I know why he hates company!_ However, she didn't realize that she had already made her way inside the room and stood infront of a person. It was Windbreaker, he sat on the bed which was obviously Carom's, and held a book in his hands. Needless to say, the mere sight of him caused her face to burn up. _Okay...I have to reason with myself...why would I still like someone who just tried to kill me! Right! I'm just like that!_

"Is there...something I can help you with?" The sudden voice caught Sara's attention in the midst of her thoughts. It was Windbreaker, his eyes were still looking towards the book that lay open in his right hand. Sara took a deep breath before answering, in that time period some thoughts ran through her mind. One thought was the advice Grace had given her just recently.

_Okay...okay, just stay calm. Normal conversation! Normal conversation_! Sara spoke, "I just came in here because I couldn't stand the noise."

Windbreaker smirked, turning the page on the book, "Well, that's understandable. The noise those idiots make can be heard a mile away. I never can seem to get a piece of mind..." There was silence between them.

"So...errr...what book are you reading?" she asked hesitantly, _Was that a strange question?_

"Maire by Linda Windsor...good book..." In a smooth motion he flipped the page and placed a book mark in the book, closing it. "So, are you here to kill me?" Sara was surprised by his sudden question.

"Kill you? W-what do you mean!"

"You know exactly what I mean. I killed your parents and tried to assassinate you, therefore you try to get revenge on me for making you suffer so much. It's that simple!" The elite Raven leaned against the wall that the bed was propped against. He rested his hands on the white bedsheets that covered the large bed.

"Wind, I didn't come here to do that! Not everything in this world works that way!"

"Really? I was at the impression that you wanted to avenge your parent's deaths...wasn't that your first goal? The sole reason why you became a Raven?"

She seemed pained at hearing his words, "That was the case at first, Wind...but...over the months I've learned for myself that revenge does nothing. And I've also realized...that I could never bring myself to kill you."

"And why is that?" The Raven raised a curious eyebrow.

"Because...I've grown to like you...I'm not asking to be your girlfriend or anything. I know you may still have loyalties to your loved one who died in that chaos..." She hesitantly picked her words, Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. The only reason he closes off from people is because he lost something important to him. Is anything wrong with that? She questioned herself. One side of Sara wanted to leave. the other side compelled her to leave, told her to stay and chat "I just want to stay by your side..." A gentle smile played across her pale face.

The expression on Windbreaker's face was apparent. There was no smirk or grin, only a look of sadness in his eyes. _Stay by my side...Charisma...I wonder if your the one that brought her to me..._He chukled lightly at the thought.

"Whats so funny?" Sara was now very confused. One minute he would stand there pondering on sadness, next minute he would be chuckling to himself. Laughing? I've never heard Windbreaker laugh so...serene...

Windbreaker thought of the last dyeing words Charisma had said before she died fighting. "_Make sure you settle down with a girl you like if I'm not there"...I did promise...and...I never go back on a promise..._For the first time in two years, a gentle smile played across his face. "Say, would you like a drink?" Sara was shocked by the sudden change in his tone and his mood. Not only that, it was odd to her to see Windbreaker smile. He never smiled at her. Deciding that replying with a positive attitude would be the solution she answered Windbreaker.

"Yes, thank you." Her soft and gentle smile illuminated her face.

Jack-O stood by the riverside looking up into the dark sky, the only thing that illuminated his surroundings were street lights and the moon itself. The administrator wore his usual light brown trench coat, making anyone believe he was just a commoner. He narrowed his eyes and spoke, as if directing his words to someone that hid in the shadows, "He's found it..."

A man with black hair that fell to his shoulders stepped out from the shadows in a brown leather coat. It was Vanguard, he had just exited the recent party and came to converse with Jack-O after seeing the strange weather. "What has Enigma found?"

"He's found something much more terrible than that of the Archangel Pulverizer. Enigma seems to have found the Pulverizer Lancar..."

"Lancar! But...I thought Windbreaker destroyed it!"

"No...nothing could destroy it. It was impregnable to everything we had...so I ordered him to bury it somewhere..."

"Lancar...thats not good..." Vanguard seemed distressed by the news.

"Yes, and whats more...Enigma has also found the location of the weather control device."

"Weather control device?" Vanguard was puzzled. He had never heard of any technology that could control the weather.

"Yes, lost technology. Bayload used a mini sized version of the device."

"Oh..." Was all Vanguard could say.

"He plans to use the larger weather control device to most likely flood humanity...or something of that sort..."

"Flood! That's insane! Nothing could control such things! Not on a massive scale at least."

"Lost technology is also referred to as ancient technology because it is dated back many years...remember Atlantis?" Jack-O continued to stare at the sky, his coat flapped behind hims through the wind.

"That technology...has lasted that long?" Vanguard was shocked at the information, he had thought the lost technology they had recently uncovered was old...but not as old as being in the time of when Atlantis was flooded.

"This is what I have learned through my research..." The silver haired administrator turned around. "We have to at least destroy the weather device." Jack-O could see what his companion's next question would be. "If your going to ask where it is, then I have to say that even I don't know...but I have already sent some Ravens to gather some intelligence on the whereabouts of the device."

"Errr...okay...but that wasn't the question I was going to ask. I was going to ask why you haven't put me into exile again...for the third time..." Vanguard scratched the back of his head.

"The current situation is more important. I need every help I can get. Of course...when this is over...then I'll exile you!" He gave a slight chuckle.

"Guh...I thought so...ya know...having you as a brother is really a pain!" Vanguard scoffed.

"Yes well, as soon as this is over, and I have exiled you. You may do as you wish..." Jack-O glanced around, "Speaking of pains...how is Windbreaker doing in the party?" He grinned at the thought.

"Eh...pain? You mean you actually deliberately invited him to torture him?" He asked, profusely baffled by his brother's prank despite his position as head administrator.

"Yes...well...ahem..."

Vanguard suddenly figured out why the older sibling was always tormenting Windbreaker with chores, "Wait I see! You're still mad at Wind for beating you to the ground on that mission!"

"What! I don't know what your talking about!"

"You know that Defending the Supply Depot mission! It was on the news! Everyone saw it! So you're mad at him about that eh?" Vanguard said amused at the childish feud.

"Urk...ahhhhh...you still haven't answered my question about Windbreaker."

"Oh...well...last I was there he was grumbling in misery of some sort. I think it was Carom...or Principle..."

"Excellent..." Jack-O mumbled, out of his usual character.

"Hm? What was that Jack?"

"Oh...errr...nothing...I wonder if he's having fun?" Jack-O had a slight grin on his face. The picture of the Raven, Principle squeezing the life out of Windbreaker flashed through his mind.

"Fun...yeah right...he's probably grunting about!"

Sara and Windbreaker sat beside eachother on the white bed. Taking sips from their wine glasses.

"So...you never knew who your father was?" Sara took another sip of her wine, _Hmmmm...that's strange...I'm not feeling dizzy, usually I only take one sip of a wine glass and I'm out cold..._

"No...as far as I remember...the Ark has been my home..."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Sorry to hear what?" Windbreaker questioned.

"Sorry to hear that you never knew your parents...don't you feel sad that you've never known your parents!" She asked, wide eyed.

"Not really..." He said plainly and took another sip of the wine in his hand.

_Well, theres one thing that still remains the same..._At the same time, Windbreaker took a glance at Sara.

_Come to think of it...she does resemble Charisma alot...cept for the black hair and blue eyes...her skin is a bit more white as well..._He was trying to reason with himself why he was doing this. Again, Sara's face burned up when she caught him glancing at her. She wanted to hide herself but at the same time stay with him.

_Its wierd...he makes me feel so...warm..._Sara blushed slightly. She didn't notice that she, herself, was staring at Windbreaker. Eventually, she moved closer, close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body even through the clothes. An urge to kiss her suddenly overtook the elite Raven. It was true, he had hated her before, but that didn't mean that she was beautiful. After all, roses did have thorns. Now was different, he felt different, the impulse overtook him and he wrapped his arms around her waist forcing a kiss between them. They embraced eachother and tugged at eachother's clothing. The last thought that ran through Windbreaker's mind was that of an ironic one, _Must be a blue moon..._

Elsewhere, it seemed Jack-O was laughing his head off with the various thoughts that ran through his mind.

Vanguard, who stood beside the administrator, seemed irritated by his brother's laughing, _I always thought he was a whack...but never anything to this extent._ "I think maybe your enjoying yourself a little too much..."

"Ah, Evangel! Haven't you heard? Theres no such thing as having too much of something good!" Jack-O gloated.

"In your case...there is...I think you've had too many missions in your time..."

The party had ended with a good-bye from each of the Ravens. The large room was empty of life now, only Carom stood on the side accompanied by bottles, cans and other sorts of junk on the floor. Chaos in the party had left Carom's house merely a wreck. "Meh...I'll clean up tomorrow...right now..." He walked towards his bedroom door holding a bottle in his hand. "...I need some shut eye! Man what a party!" He proceeded to open the door, "I never knew Shade could be so easy-going...guess you can't judge a man by his attitude. But I can't shake the feeling that the party was missing something...but wha-!" Carom could only gawk at what he saw when he opened the door, he dropped his bottle of beer letting it make a loud crashing sound as the glass shattered into millions of pieces.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Beginning of the End

It was a bright day, the blue sky was cloudless and many people roamed the streets of the city. Inside a coffee shop, a man sat at a round table drinking his cup of coffee. His black hair ran down to his shoulders. Despite the hot weather, he was wearing a leather jacket. No sooner was he joined by three people. One of them was man had a cross shaped scar on his left cheek and his pitch black hair ran down to the top of his neck. The one walking closely beside him was woman, her raven-black hair flowed down to her shoulder blades and seemed to shine in the sunlight. In the lead was a man with brilliant hair, his face was flush with anger. The man in the lead rushed to the table and slammed his fist down on the table with rage. "Do you know what the hell happened last night, Vanguard!" The other two silently took their seats at the table, the man quickly held his newspaper in front of him covering his face up. His companion was talking to the waitress, probably ordering food. Vanguard's attention turned to the furious man in front of him known as Carom.

"No...I don't know..." Vanguard grew curious.

"I saw the most horrid thing in my life! Absolutely discussing!" He yelled, nobody else in the shop seemed to be affected by the Raven's yelling. Yelling was very common in these types of shops, "They were sleeping! In my bed! Together!" He pointed, accusingly at the two other companions. Vanguard glanced at the other two, the female was Sara and the male was Windbreaker. Windbreaker's face was hidden behind the newspaper he was reading and Sara seemed to be hiding her face by eating her sandwhich with her face looking downwards. Vanguard could've sworn he saw her blushing. He spoke calmly to the enraged Raven.

"Now Carom...I'm sure they were just...cold and fell asleep...its not that bad is-" he was immediately cut off by Carom.

"Not that bad! Not that bad!" His tone rose with each phrase, "She was nuzzling him in the neck! And they were naked!" As if reacting to the sudden outburst, Sara started choking on her food. Windbreaker on the other hand, seemed to still be keeping his poise behind the newspaper. Another voice interrupted the scene that transpired.

"Hey! Seen the news yet?" It was Principle, her dirty-blonde hair ran down to her waist. She pointed at the front of the newspaper she held in her tiny hands. "Horizon was reported seen! He's back! Oooooh! I can't wait to get my chance! He beat me so badly last time I faced him...he's probably boasting how he defeated m-!"

"Say, Sara! How about we go back to the garage...ya know, check our ACs?" Windbreaker snapped from his reading position and seemed a bit nervous.

"Oh! Uhhhh...yeah! That's a great idea!" The two Ravens rushed out of the shop. Their feets carrying them out the door.

_Hmmmm...so...I guess last night's party wasn't such a tormenting thing for Wind considering what I heard he did...Vanguard sighed, Now Jack might be furious...oh well! Doesn't concern me!_

"Listen, Sara, I have to go right now." Windbreaker stood on top of Omen's cockpit. The cockpit of his AC was located in the back and opened up at the top. He was facing Sara, who was a couple inches shorter than him. She could tell by the way he looked at her that this was a solo-mission.

"Oh...I see...this is one of those missions where you don't need me huh?" She bowed her head, long strands of her hair fell over her shoulder. Windbreaker proceeded towards the opening of his cockpit.

"Oh yeah! I stashed a special optional part in your garage, you can't miss it!" He yelled back from inside his cockpit. As the demonic form in white paint began to come to life. It filled the abandoned garage with sounds from its engine.

_What? That's it? A special optional part? He really doesn't know anything about women!_ Sara pouted, as she looked up to the white mech that started walking out of the garage doors. _He didn't even give me a small peck!_ The large form lifted off, spreading dust throughout the garage as its boosters ignited, lifting the mechanical figure into the skies. _Well...might as well see what he got for me..._The young Raven strolled to her room. As the shining white door slid open, she noticed something peculiar lay on her bed. Two boxes smaller than her palm lay on the purple bedsheets wrapped in glittering wrapping. One was significantly larger than the other but still, it could be considered small to the human eye. Sara slowly took the larger box in her hands and began unwrapping it. What was inside astounded the Raven, a small emerald stone lay imbedded within a cushion like fabric. The stone itself emitted a strange green glow, illuminating the whole room. Sara could only stare in awe. Only then did she notice a small slip of paper attached to the stone. The paper read:

_This is the optional part I was talking about, imbed this into the core of your AC, it will safeguard you and protect you for eternity._

Signed, Windbreaker

_Heh...idiot...he really doesn't know women..._Sara glanced at the box that still sat on the bed. _Wind never mentioned anything about this..._The box wasn't covered in wrappings, it just sat there with its lid still revealed. With her delicate fingers, she slid the lid off, what was inside revealed was a necklace with a small dragon. Inscribed on the curled up dragon were several delicate details. On the back of the lid was a small letter:

_This necklace was passed to me by a dear friend, now I want you to have it...as a symbol of my trust._

Sara stood there, clutching the newly found necklace in her hands, she stood beside her bed trying desperately to restrain the tears that were welling up inside her. The feeling of being overjoyed, took her. _Wind...he told me everything...about his past...about how Vanguard was Evangel...how he didn't know his parents...how it felt to lose someone close to him...he told me he trusted me now...I didn't believe him at first...but now..._She stood there, silently, praying, weeping and praising god for leading someone like this man into her life.

An ominous white demon stood in the middle of the concrete floor. Sand brushed past it, blowing through the air and creating a curtain of mist. Behind it lay a cube like structure that bore two large grey gates in the middle. With the barrel of its gun still stabbed into the cracked concrete. As if sensing another presence, the white mech pulled out its rifle, sending concrete dust flying. "Eager to die, I see..." The giant spun around, pulling the trigger on its customized linear rifle. A brilliant flash of light shot from the barrel. The presence that the pilot sensed was a large deformed grey mech with smooth shiny armor. Long iron blades protruded from what looked like its arms. It seemed to hover in the air effortlessly. However intimidating the mech itself looked, the shot seemed to pierce its armor without much resistance. A long switch blade extended from underneath the barrel of the linear rifle. The demon mech swung the rifle backwards in a horizontal motion. Its blade sliced through a core that stood behind it. In one smooth motion the fearsome god brought its rifle-arm backwards and pushed forward. The blade was caught in another of the grey mech's core. Alus Omen began turning the bladed rifle in a counterclock wise direction. The blade was immediately taken out in a vertical slash, large pieces of metal from the deformed mech started flying everywhere. Windbreaker glanced behind him, tilting his head slightly towards a familiar presence that he sensed behind him. "Decided to finally come eh?"


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The End (Beginning)

_Hmmmm...that's strange...Wind's been gone a pretty long time. It's not like him to take so long on just one mission._ Sara paced around in an area in front of her AC, Crimson Tear. She held the small green stone that was suppossedly an optional part that Windbreaker had left her. It was irritating to her at first to wait for Windbreaker to return from a mission. But it was very out of character for Windbreaker to have taken so long on one mission. In fact, Sara was getting worried, _Maybe he's in trouble...what if he needs my help! I should have gone with him! _Many thoughts filled Sara's mind as she tried to calm herself down. _No! Must think happy thoughts! Maybe a quick mission will clear my mind!_ She quickly dashed into her AC cockpit, where a control panel lay for mission recievings, a standard for all types of ACs. Only one mission seemed to be blinking on the screen before her in a bright blue. The screen that came up after she clicked on the bright blue button. The message was from Mirage:

_This is an urgent request. A few hours ago, strange mechanical units started roaming the area of our base. It is suspected that they are after whats inside the base that we constructed. We just recently finished building the base and the contents of whats inside the base is ancient technology that Kisaragi has exported to us. If that technology should fall into the wrong hands, the results could be catastrophic. A couple hours ago, we sent in a Raven to deal with the threats. Its been some time since he has contacted us, so it is possible that the worst case scenario has happened. Either way, we cannot allow that technology to fall into the wrong hands. Head over to the base with these coordinates and destroy any hostile life. We're counting on you Raven...good luck!_

"Why don't you get out of the way! I'm not here to play with you!" Alus Omen caught one of the deformed mechs by its collar with its left hand. With its right hand it grappled onto the top of what seemed to be the head and started crushing it. Scraps littered the compound floor. The room was empty, only bright incandescent lights lit the room. With sudden force, the white demon threw the mutilated body out of its way and jabbed at the next grey mech that came its way. The pure white hand found its way into the abdomen area of the torso and punctured right through. Its hand could be seen coming out from the backside of the deformed monster. It tore the silent body off its arm. Soon, mechanical bodies littered the floor as the white demonic form still stood, unscathed. In a quick movement, the ghostly blue blade that lay folded behind Alus Omen's elbow, came forward. The blades' tip pointed outwards. As another deformed being came lunging forward at the ominous figure, the white form plunged its elbow blade into the torso of its opposer. The grey giant immediately blew up on contact. Suddenly sensing another presence approaching the room, Alus Omen took one step to turn to the door that lay before it. "Why don't you just face me?" Windbreaker growled within his cockpit.

At first it seemed the only sound that filled the empty garage were footsteps of a young female approaching her AC. Soon after though, a voice echoed through the abandoned compound. "So, I see your going out on a mission." Sara swiveled around on her feet to see a tall man with silver hair that stood up on all ends, approach her. It was the administrator himself, Jack-O.

"Yeah," She responded simply and as plainly as she could, trying to suppress her worried face.

"I must accompany you then. I have a transport waiting for us ouside."

The young Raven seemed shocked by his statement. It was a question of why that screamed in her head. "Why?"

"Well, the mission you just recently took raised my curiosity and I just wanted to see what was going on." He said with a slight smile on his face.

"The mission I just recently took? Wait! You were spying on me!" She managed to sputter out.

"No, I wasn't spying. It's my job! Somebody has to do all the paperwork involving your missions!" Jack-O shrugged in a slackish manner.

"What's so suspicious about this mission? For a Raven, these types of missions are common."

"No, I'm just curious, anyways, you won't be needing to pay me anything."

"Oh...well...thats really nice of you, Jack!" she said, astounded that the administrator would take any mission in for free without incentives.

"Well, that's cuz...half of your income goes to me! So..." In other words, he would get money from the mission one way or another. "...we should get moving right now!" Jack-O exclaimed with a satsified smile on his face. Sara seemed less enthusiastic, the whole thing was just a plot to up his money bank.

A large solid blade pierced through the wing like shoulder of Alus Omen. The point of the blade protruded from the front of the arm. Another blade came thrusting forward from an opposite direction. The sharp edge pierced through the thigh of the white mech, brilliant blue lights started surging from its wounds. A ghostly blade swung backwards, splitting one of two cores in half. With its other arm, the demon grappled onto the head unit of the other deformed mech. It took only a moment for the demon like mech to send its attacker crashing into one of the walls. Alus Omen staggered in place, trying to gain its footing from its previous assault. While pulling out the blades that still lay imbedded within its armor, Windbreaker noticed something flash across his screen. It was in bold letters, still readable to the pilot which read, "WARNING! ENERGY GENERATOR DAMAGED! OUTPUT DECREASING!" A grim feeling overcame the young pilot, Damn, sent his little minions to weaken the front line,"So...I take it you don't like losing..." Windbreaker suddenly said, directing his voice through the comm-link with a slight grin on his face. He was still calm, despite the damage his mech had taken. A sudden loud cackling responded to his words.

"Who does? Perhaps its time I taught you the true meaning of defeat!" It was a gruff voice, familiar to the ear.

Windbreaker merely shrugged at the statement a laughed lightly, "Isn't that what you people always say before you die? I can tell straight off the bat that your one of those selfish people who do this just for their own pathetic sakes."

"Why don't you shut up! Humans are the ones who are pathetic and selfish! This is merely judgement upon them for the sins they have committed! I lost my whole family in the wars! They must be avenged! Someone like you could never understand what I fight for!" The voice growled.

The elite Raven found himself smirking, "Okay, ya know what! I'm kinda tired hearing the same old story over and over and over again. It really gives you no right to cast this so-called judgement upon people if they fight for the same reasons as you do. It really makes you look quite stupid actually."

The voice snarled at his remark, "Still cocky eh? I shall gladly take you with me to hell!" The gates that once stood before Alus Omen were felled. Only smoke filled the air of the gateway. Reacting to this, the wounded giant picked up its linear rifle from the ground.

Before speaking, a large grin crossed Windbreaker's face, "Your welcome to try!"

"Jack...what are you doing? Shouldn't we hurry up and get to the bottom level quickly?" Sara asked in a puzzled voice, turning her gaze to look at the heavyweight AC that stood behind her with its back facing her. Its pure white paint made it look like it was made out of snow, the armaments in its hand which were the KRSW and the grenade rifle, made it look all the more intimidating.

"No, I believe that should be your job. Search for the Raven and help them out as much as possible. Should any more reinforcements arrive, there should be a guard to intercept their pathway. Don't worry, I'll be fine, I used to be an elite Raven before this you know?" The administrator said in a calm and assuring tone.

"Alright." She nodded a bit. What was on Sara's mind was who the hired Raven was. She was always curious to meet new people, hopefully, she could get there in time before this Raven got killed. It took awhile before Sara could get to the elevator that led to the second last floor. Apparantly, the inside of the complex had been severely damaged. Various grey mechanical parts that Sara could not recognize littered the grounds, with their wires hanging out, like dead limbs with their entrails hanging out. It was obvious at the sight of fallen limbs that only one mech was protecting the complex. It took awhile before the elevator came to a halt. The gates of the elevator slowly opened, letting off a loud moan that echoed through the elevator halls. What Sara saw next was shocking, and terrifying to see. A figure was propped on the other side, in a kneeling position. Its right arm had been torn right off, wires dangled from its right side. The once pure white paint had been worn off, black smears covered portions of its body. A faint glow still emitted from the demonic head, a dim light blue glow. The left half of the head was mutilated, dents and scratches covered it and its left eye was no longer functioning, with a large scar engraved across it. Various parts of its armor had been torn off, revealing black mechanical parts. Two gouges were visible in its left shoulder and right thigh. The wounded mech staggered up to a standing position.

"Your late...again..." A raspy voice said suddenly, the volume of the voice no more than a whisper. Crimson Tear slid towards the wounded mech. The once demonic mech looked like it was even having trouble just standing up.

"Wind! What happened!" She gasped, a bit taken back and horrified at the sight before her. The mech itself was in such a horrid state that it looked like it would fall apart at any moment. Sparks continued to jump from its joints as it staggered with one step, forward.

"That's not important! What's important right now is that you get to the weather control device at the bottom level. Enigma's little minions got past me just now. Alus Omen's energy level is at a risky level right now. Right now, your the only one left who can do a damn thing about it right now..." Windbreaker grunted, his breaths were in hard and short successions. A deep slash ran across his right eye, blood flowing out of it and also ran down his forehead. A deep gash ran into his thigh. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath before his next words, "Sorry...for getting you involved in this...when you get out of this...promise me that you'll quit being a Raven. You must stay alive and live through this!"

"Wind...stop talking like that! You say that as if your going to die!" She yelled, a bit fearful of the possibility.

"Well, that seems to be the most likely outcome for me..." The elite Raven said darkly.

"No! Stop talking like that! Your going to stay alive! We're going to get out of this together!" Silence overcame the lines when she spoke these words.

"Heh...Yeah...your right..." Alus Omen turned towards the small room behind it, crumbled bits of the gate that once stood blocking the pathway lay on the ground. "Proceed down that elevator and you'll get to the bottom level." Crimson Tear immediately stepped into the small room. Sara suddenly realized that the wounded mech wasn't moving long with her AC.

"Aren't you coming Wind?" She asked.

"No, my unit is far too damaged to be of any help to you. I'll only be a liability. You have to go on ahead..."

"Alright..." Sara said, feeling a bit unsure. The inner doors of the elevator slowly closed in when a sudden burst of dust came from the ceiling of the complex. A large, black figure fell downwards. Four spikes protruded from its back, pointing in four different directions. The black form itself, had no legs and seemed to hover effortlessly above the ground. Its arms didn't have hands, in fact, it had two large blades, both glowing like they were large MOONLIGHT blades themselves. It was a fearsome sight to behold, the head was shaped in a dish with laser eyes that glowed a blood red. The head suddenly looked towards Crimson Tear.

"You will not be allowed to go anywhere! I will not allow anyone to interfere!" The newcomer suddenly dashed towards the elevator, only to be halted in its tracks. Alus Omen stood in front of the black hell spawn, only holding back the mech with its left hand.

"Go now! While you still have the chance!" Sara's companion yelled through the communications.

"But what about you!" She yelled, tears welled up inside her, ready to burst out.

"Don't...concern yourself with me...my true place...is death!"

Enigma suddenly spoke up, "What the hell are you doing! Your a disgrace to NBPs! Throwing your life away for some girl!" The black devil suddenly plunged its large blade into the wounded mech's core.

"What's the matter? Weren't you the one who wanted to take to me to hell as well? Oh, and by the way, she's not just some ordinary girl! She's a Raven! And I love her!" Alus Omen used its remaining hand in a claw like poise and punctured the armor of its predator, its arm was now imbedded within the left side of the black mech.

"STOP IT WIND!" Sara yelled out, the dormant tears now ran across her cheeks like a river.

"You fool!" Was Enigma's last cry as the explosion of the once demonic white mech filled the large room and engulfed both forms in its wake. Sara could only watch in horror with wide eyes and tears running down her cheeks. Her glistening eyes were reflected only by the brilliant light of the explosion which was now behind the doors. For the first time in awhile...she felt alone and sad.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: A Real Ending

The girl sat huddled in her dark rugged cockpit. Tears started running out from her sorrowful light blue eyes. Her small pale hands gripped at the cold control panel in front of her. The screen flickered a bit. Her chest heaved and burned like fire. Having seen the image of her companion's mech explode, sadness overtook her. _No! Not again! First my parents...now him! How could I let this happen!_ Sara sulked in her cockpit. Her hair cascaded over her face and fell towards the ground like a black curtain. The air around her suddenly felt cold. _Why! Why him! He was right in front of me and I couldn't do anything!_ She clenched her fist, which lay on the control panel. Her fingernails dug deep into her skin. _He was just in front of me! I could have done something! I'm so useless..._Sara felt a pain in her chest, she grabbed her chest in an attempt to stop the pain. Her hand felt something cold smooth. She held the object that hung around her neck to see what it was, it was the dragon shaped necklace that Windbreaker had given to her before as a gift. It was now a memorial of the one she loved. She suddenly felt a sudden flow of determination flow back into her._ But...if I just keep sulking around like this...Wind's death...I accepted this mission...I'm going to carry it out...for Wind's sake...I'll end this here and now._ The crimson AC started descending atop of the platform that it sat on. A loud thump echoed throughout the large empty corridors before the platform came to a complete halt. The large gates let out a slight moan as they began sliding back into their slits. A room behind the doors was littered with grey mechanical corpses, all lifeless and limp on the floor. In the center of the room, stood a large pillar that connected up to the roof. The center of the pillar was gouged out, revealing brilliant flashing lights that bounced inside the glass shields which covered the gap in the center of the pillar.

"Remarkable, is it not? Ancient technology is very fascinating, don't you agree?" A gruff voice interrupted the magnificent sight. Sara was a bit startled to hear the voice and turned her AC around at the direction where the voice was coming from. A large black spider like mech descended slowly to the ground. Its pitch black armor was only interrupted by the illumination of the large ghostly blades that protruded from its arms. A large gaping hole could be seen in its right side torso. "I know what you're thinking," the man gave a light chuckle, "You thought Windbreaker took me with him. Did you honestly think that the Lancar could be defeated so easily by an insect like that?"

Sara glared at the pitch black form in front of her. It floated above the ground as if it was on water. Her anger suddenly rose at the sight of the horrid being, "You...bastard!"

Once again, the man let off a chuckle of amusement, "What? Its not my fault that your companion is dead. He brought it upon himself to challenge me in a battle...how pathetic,"

"Bastard!", Her temper exceeded that of what she could contain. A high pitched sound echoed throughout the room, indicating the initial charge for an overboost. Crimson Tear sped to the right, firing its sniper rifle at the core of the large unit. It was a direct hit, but the shot merely bounced off like it was nothing. Reacting to this, the mech called Lancar immediately dashed towards the spot where Crimson Tear would eventually land after its overboosting as if it had already predicted everything. Sara was startled by the Lancar's speed but the fact that it sped straight to the place where her AC was intended to land. She was a bit frightened, put Crimson Tear into a retreating tactic. Lancar had already flew to her location with its arm raised, ready to cut its prey in half. The crimson AC would have been in pieces if Sara hadn't retreated quick enough. Still, the blade had made a deep cut into the ACs core.

The pilot of Lancar laughed maniacally, "Its hopeless! Why don't you give up now!" Lancar continued to slash at the retreating AC with fury of no limit. Its assault had stopped when Crimson Tear was cornered, its back was mere inches against the wall. Still staring at the black mech in front of her, Sara tried desperately to escape...somehow.

_What can I do? He's way too fa-! _She was cut off when Lancar suddenly sped to her left with phenomenal speed. The young Raven could not react fast enough to avoid the next assault. A large blue energy sword had pierced through Crimson Tear's left shoulder and embedded itself in the wall behind the AC. Only moments later did the ACs left arm explode, detaching itself and leaving wires hanging out of the crimson ACs left side. Metal shrapnel started to fly in every direction inside the cockpit. Some had slashed Sara's skin, leaving her bleeding heavily in her left side. "Ahhhhhhhh! Ughhhhhh!" She screamed and cried out, writhing in pain from the many metal pieces that lay imbedded in her left side now. The female Raven groaned a bit before taking the controls again. To her surprise, the Lancar had already made its way to the fallen AC and was hovering above the AC, its right blade poised, ready to pierce right into its opponent. _Oh, crap...why do I even bother, _She smirked a bit at her own useless self, _I only got in the way...what the hell did I ever do! Now Winds...dead...because of me...and he died for nothing..._She desperately tried to fight back her tears. Her eyes glistened through the image display's illumination. _I'm so sorry, please forgive me. I couldn't do anything right_. Expecting a the touch of searing heat making contact with her skin, the female closed her eyes tightly, ready to embrace the end. The explosion never came, in fact, there was a loud crackling sound that was being emitted from outside the cockpit. Sara opened one of her eyes to look at what was awaiting her. To her surprise, the monstrous mech had halted in its movements. It staggered backwards in the air, its arm seeming to shake with intense fury, as if in pain. The eerie blue blade that used to protrude from its arms no longer existed, only thin air lay in place while the mech shook furiously.

"This can't be! How can this be? The energy level is depleting rapidly! And the Lancar is sustaining heavy damage!" The gruff voice managed to sputter, the hint of panic was apparent in the voice. Wide eyed in shock, Sara stared as the pitch black form started fizzing with spark around its body. Without much of a warning, its right shoulder exploded, causing the right arm to shoot into a nearby wall. The young Raven was as shocked as her opponent. A sudden bleeping could be heard, coming from her display panel. Bright lines pointing towards the core of her AC indicated a large energy fluctuation.

_The core? But what could...? Wind's part!_ She suddenly realized that the stone her companion had given to her was causing all this. Before she went on this mission, she had imbedded the stone into the generator core of her AC as instructed. It seemed the little stone did hold a special power of some sort.

"No...the energy level isn't depleting...its being suppressed by an opposing energy. But that's impossible! The only type of energy capable of even negating it could only possibly be the Alus's, but I've destroyed it already!" The pitch black armor of the Lancar began to crack, some of it already crumbling to the floor. Its form was that of a mutilated state and already jerking in its movements, half dead on the floor. "I refuse to accept it! This can't be my fate! I've two year plan can't fail! Not like this!" Another piece of armor started to chip off from the mech itself, various pieces went flying about. The voice let out a low growl, "If I have to die then I'll take you all to hell with me!" The wrecked Pulverizer started to rise upwards, slowly in a sluggish manner, its remaining arm dangling lifelessly against the floor. An explosion that came from the gaping hole that still remained in its right side had caught the pilot off guard. Still, the blast did not seem to even phase the mech and it continued its ascension to the brilliant flashing lights, where the weather device's core was situated. Replaying, the explosion in her mind, Sara suddenly realized that the weak spot had lay in front of her the entire time, left by her dead companion.

_The hole! Wind's last attack!_ With that the dark red form unmounted the mini-grenade launcher that lay on its back and aimed for the gaping hole in the Lancar's torso. The lock-on targetting system on her screen took only a few seconds to adjust, keeping the intended target in its center. Finally launching a bright explosive shell from the cannon barrel, the AC skidded backwards slightly from the recoil. A direct hit to the Lancar's torso laid waste to the monstrous mech. Brilliant pillars of light came spewing out of it. Flames of hell gushed out form all sides of its torso as the form struggled to get to its destination. In final desperation, Lancar reached out with its right arm and attempted to slash at the core of the weather device, only to have shattered the glass that encased the brilliant lights. What came afterwards was the inevitable, the black form descending slowly to the tiled floor as if it was a bird that had just been shot down. The moment the cindering form made contact with the floor, it immediately exploded, metal shrapnel flew about in bits and pieces. Silence overcame the room, nothing but the sound of the wisping energy core in the center seemed to stir in the room. The struggle had subsided, the crisis was over before it even began.

In light of the events, Jack-O had deliberately recorded the whole thing. Announcing that the corporations were hiding ancient technology and trying to use it for their own wicked purposes. Gathering the last of the Ravens Ark after the crisis. The administrator rose up, forming a faction that was only composed of Ravens called Vertex, pushing for the freedom of Ravens. On the other end, the corporations used its publicity to sway the people in their favor. Making the Ravens seem as though they were the ones that caused the whole incident. Under the leadership of an long lost ex-Raven who calls himself Evangel, the corporations banded together to form the Alliance faction. The Ravens were split apart, some joining the new factions, others remained their true to their freelancer ways. As time passed, these two factions began doing battle against one another. Large scale wars were inevitable as each faction grew stronger with every second. One Raven, named Sara Landfield, had held the title of Ninebreaker for sometime until disappearing. Her sudden disappearance was not a shock seeing as how many events had unfolded in her life. Some say that she grew tired of fighting everyday and decided to quit, others say that it was the grief of losing a loved one, few say that it was a promise to a special person in her life.


End file.
